Deception and Destruction

What follows is just the first chapter in this whole ordeal. It's too long and involved for one post, and quite frankly, as late as last night the hits keep coming...


On Sunday, March 14th, at about 6:45 pm, I received a "restricted" phone call on my cell phone. I answered it because I thought it was my brother. It was not, though it took me a moment to realize it.


It was a man telling me he met my friend C in a bar and C gave me his number. This guy said he was "a single man, looking to meet a woman, and C said, here -- call my girlfriend. She'll talk with you." I kept asking, Who is this? and Who gave you my number? and What?! The call wasn't making any sense to me, and I hung up.


Then the texts started. Some restricted numbers, some not.


I called C, someone I was very close with. I've mentioned him here before -- he's someone who has brought me great happiness over the past few months, but also some frustrations and hurting heart feelings. We had just decided to move forward with things again when this happened. So, I called him and asked, Did you give my number to some guy in a bar???

He was shocked. No way! I didn't give anyone your number! Why would I do that? What are you talking about?


I told him my phone was now being flooded with phone calls and texts from men looking to meet me or talk to me. All of them are telling me they "met C, drunk off his ass, in a bar" and he gave them my number.


C came right over. We tried to reverse-look up the numbers we could (most calls were restricted). The calls and texts kept coming. C finally answered, and that man hung up.


We were floored. What the heck is going on??? What is this??? C eventually headed home, swearing he had nothing to do with this; both of us perplexed and shaken and confused. And angry.

Monday the calls continued. C called/texted the ones we could identify and told them to stop. He eventually learned through one of them that they were just responding to an ad on craigslist.


WHAT?

I emailed craigslist immediately. After the automated response, I went ahead and emailed the CEO and owner directly and asked for their help. I requested a copy of the ad and any posting information they had. They were great. I had my information in about an hour.

But not all of it.

I had no idea what this one ad would mean in the long run.