AP source: Craigslist suspect had victims' items
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal on Wednesday called on Craigslist to stop what he calls "pimping and prostitution in plain sight." He asked the site to immediately eliminate photographs in the "erotic services" section, hire staff to screen images and ads that violate the site's terms of service and fine those who violate those terms.
But Craigslist's CEO, Jim Buckmaster, said criminals who use the site are virtually guaranteed to get caught because they leave electronic trails that are easily traced.
"So don't use Craigslist for crime unless you want to go to jail," he said Wednesday in an interview from San Francisco, where the company is based.
Buckmaster said there have been billions of interactions on Craigslist and added "compared to human society as a whole the risks of Craigslist are low, but they're not zero."
Buckmaster urged users to take precautions when meeting someone found through an online ad, such as choosing a public place or taking a friend along.