$25,000 stolen in craigslist robbery

ALTADENA -- Two robbers stole $25,000 from a man at gunpoint Sunday after luring him with an Internet advertisement of a truck for sale, authorities said.
The crime occurred about 11:30 a.m. in the 100 block of East Loma Alta Drive when the victim, a 44-year-old Arizona man, and a friend, a 52-year-old La Verne man, drove to answer a posting on craigslist.org advertising a pickup truck, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Tania Plunkett said.
Once the victim and his friend arrived, they got out of their car and spoke to the robbers about the ad, said Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. John Caffrey.
One of the robbers "pulled out a handgun and advised the victim that this was a robbery," Caffrey said.
The second robber stood by with a large stick while the gunman went into the victim's car and helped himself to an envelope containing $25,000, he said.
No injuries were reported.
The robbers were described as two black men in their mid-30s driving a white, 1990s-model Chevrolet pickup truck with a blue tarp covering the bed, officials said.
Officials declined to release further information, including more about the actual ad, late Sunday pending further investigation, Plunkett said.
Craigslist officials could not be reached, late Sunday. Sunday's incident was only the latest in a series of local crimes that have been tied to the craigslist.org Web site.
In July, a man was beaten and robbed at an Azusa motel after agreeing to meet with a woman he contacted through craigslist.org, officials said.
Also in July, officials reported crooks were using the Web site to rip people off in rental home scams.
Another craigslist.org scam involving rental homes was reported in Covina last year.
The site has also been used this year by San Gabriel Valley law enforcement agencies to find people selling illegal fireworks.
Caffrey advised the public to avoid doing large transactions in cash, particularly with strangers. Such business can be more safely handled at a bank or other financial institution.
While crimes involving craiglist are not uncommon, Caffrey said, "We don't see a lot of this type of crime with it."
Most crimes reported in connection with the Web site involve fraud -- not violent crime -- and are for much smaller amounts of money, he said.
On the site, a list of "personal safety tips" is listed to help users avoid becoming crime victims.
"With billions of human interactions facilitated through craigslist, the incidence of violent crime has been extremely low," according to the Web site. "Nevertheless, it's very important to take the same common sense precautions online as you would offline."
Safety tips offered by craigslist include insisting on meeting in a public place, telling friends or family members where you are going, bringing a cell phone and bringing a friend.
Anyone with information on Sunday's robbery is asked to call detectives at the sheriff's Altadena Station at (626) 798-1131.