Dressed to kill in a black corset and sky-high stilettos that show off her legs, she calls you baby and promises to give you what you need. Hidden amid bland listings of Orange County apartment rentals, jobs, things for sale and services needed on craigslist. The trend, echoed across the country, has police trolling the virtual bulletin board, conducting prostitution stings in cyberspace instead of on the street corner.
From Costa Mesa to Anaheim, cities along the infamous Harbor Boulevard circuit have fought relentlessly against prostitutes and their customers. Now, police say, streetwalkers are trekking to Orange County from places like Seattle, Detroit and Tennessee not to stand on the street, but to post their pictures on craigslist next to garage sale listings and wait for the phone to ring and the money to roll in.
And with billions of page views a month, the reach is far greater than any throwaway newspaper. Founder Craig Newmark, who started craigslist in San Francisco in , has called it a happy accident, aimed at making it easier for people to get everyday chores done. But there is another side to craigslist, one of prostitutes, pimps and people who post ads for rooms, hoping to get sex instead of cash for rent.
From crystal methamphetamine to an hour with a dominatrix, every fantasy or fetish can be found and delivered to your doorstep in less time than it takes to get a pizza delivered β if you know the code. In keeping with its communal approach, site operators rely on users to flag ads they find offensive. If enough people agree, the ad is removed. But craigslist does have subheadings for casual encounters and erotic services, where the lists are filled with pornographic images and ads for drugs and sex.
Drop me a line if you have any clues! Tina and Crystal are code for heroin and crystal meth, Ginther said. Roses, kisses and other lingo are subbed for dollars in the explicit ads, an attempt by prostitutes, according to Bailey, to sidestep the law. Local agencies regularly patrol craigslist, making deals and arresting prostitutes.
