How to Avoid Getting Murdered While Answering a Craigslist Ad

Think you're safe if you answer the cute little ad you saw asking for a maid or nanny? Think again. In light of recent news surrounding Craigslist, it's probably a good idea to get a real sense of what a person has to do to avoid getting murder by simply answering a Craigslist Ad. But first, just in case you don't know, here is the gist of what happened.

A sweet 24-year old women who had taken jobs at least twice before from people asking for nannies on Craigslist, one day answered the wrong ad. She made contact with who she thought was a couple looking for a babysitter. After just one message, "the couple" asked the woman to baby-sit a kid. The next thing you know, the women, Anne Olsen turned up murdered. Police suspect that 19-year-old Michael J. Anderson shot Amy in the back and stuck her in the trunk of her own car. Anderson is being held on $1 million bail.

But what could Ann have done to avoid this, and what can you do to avoid getting murdered from answering a Craigslist ad? There are a few steps you can take.

Be very suspect of ads that call for you to meet people, especially at their homes.
A person's home is their environment. They can make that environment into whatever they want. Therefore, when you go to someone's home, you don't know what you are opening yourself up to. You could be coming to an underground cave or something. You just never know. So if you have to meet someone, do it in a public place that's crowded. By this, I mean a shopping mall or a busy coffee house. Then, when you meet the person, ask for some id. I know that sounds rude, but would you give up your life in exchange for politeness? I sure wouldn't. So ask for the person's id to make sure that person is the one you have been speaking to on Craigslist.

If the person seems weird to you, he or she probably is.
Treat the person you meet or talk to from Craigslist just like you would treat a manager you might meet on a job interview. Would you work for someone whom you thought was extremely odd for no good reason? Nope. So in the case of a Craigslist ad, you need to be even more cautious because you don't know where this person is coming from. At least a manager is at a company you can research. Ann Olson told her roommate that when she spoke to the "couple" she thought they were weird, but she went to their home anyway.

When you meet someone, take another person with you.
It's not that hard to shoot two people. That's a hard truth to swallow. But you do have a better chance if you don't meet someone alone. Could you imagine what Anderson would be facing if he had the blood of two people on his hands instead of just one? This suggestion doesn't just go for Craigslist ads either but it also goes for anytime you meet someone you made contact with over the internet.

Be very suspicious of jobs you find on Craigslist
There are just too many scams, prostitutes, and child molesters on Craigslist for a person to go into a Craiglist ad situation with their guard down. So do everything you can to sniff the situation out fully before you jump in feet first.