Ad browsers beware, online or off

A Wayzata nanny agency sent memos Monday to 12,000 young women in its national database, urging caution online. A University of Minnesota student considered a different, perhaps safer, way to sell her $850 flute.

As the popularity of Craigslist.org and other online classified ad sites has soared in Minnesota, the killing of Katherine Ann Olson is creating new unease among the thousands of people who use such websites to find jobs, love or a buyer for their old junk.

"This generation is growing up with Facebook, MySpace and Craigs- list to the point where they have become commonplace," said Joe Keeley, president of College Nannies & Tutors. "Whether you're selling a couch or looking for a job, you need to be cautious."

But when there is a financial interest, such as finally selling an old car or landing a job, "caution is sometimes not at the forefront of one's mind," said Craigslist spokeswoman Susan MacTavish Best.

But experts say that fingers should not be pointed at the Internet.

Consumers should always be savvy about meeting with strangers -- even if you have talked to them or e-mailed them -- and let common sense be your guide.

Family members said that Olson, 24, disappeared after responding to a nanny job in Savage that she found on Craigslist. The St. Olaf College grad was found dead in the trunk of her car in a Burnsville park on Friday.

Scott County prosecutors are expected to file criminal charges against the 19-year-old suspect this morning.

The Olson killing is why Johanna Epley is reconsidering how to sell her flute. She uses Craigslist once in while, but the classified site's local focus made her feel safer. A week ago, she posted the $850 flute online and got two responses that she believed were shady.

"After seeing the scams, and hearing about [the killing], I've been kind of developing a discomfort with online interaction," she said. "I think I might not try to sell my flute online anymore."

Olson's killing, if proven to be tied to Craigslist, would be the first linked to the San Francisco-based company's site, said MacTavish Best. In Los Angeles, police are investigating the disappearance of a 19-year-old woman who might have met her abductor on Craigslist.

For the most part, though, such sites are considered safe and useful, considering the volume of traffic: In its 12-year history, Craigslist users have posted 450 million ads.

And Internet alternatives such as personal ads in the newspaper, bulletin boards or buying over the phone pose the same kind of risks.

"It's not the Internet," said Nora Paul, who runs the Institute for New Media Studies at the University of Minnesota. "It's just using common sense when you go into a situation when you don't know what the whole story might be."

Keeley said that Internet users fear getting scammed more than physically harmed, but Olson's killing might prompt a "slight awakening."

Thinking twice

Responding to a Craigslist ad for a part-time job, Cassandra Crawford agreed to help a photographer clean up his house in Farmington and sell equipment he no longer used. She assumed he lived or worked in town, not in the middle of nowhere.

"As I was driving down the dirt road, I did consider the thought that he could harm me and no one would find me for a very long time," said Crawford, who doesn't scare easily and continued toward the house. "He turned out to be a very nice guy with a very friendly German shepherd. But he could have turned out to be a nutso."

According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 17 percent of Internet users, or 25 million Americans, have sold something online. And visits to classified ad websites have grown 80 percent, according to the latest numbers available from 2005.

Use soars in Minnesota

In Minnesota, Craigslist has seen an 84 percent increase in the number of posts since January, with more than 3 million posts in 2007. And despite Olson's slaying, people looking for nannies continue to click on Craigslist.

What makes that site different is that almost all the transactions happen face to face--the site is divided regionally -- and people feel like they can trust themselves to know if they are dealing with unsavory characters.

"I'm a trusting Minnesotan," Crawford said. "Those kinds of things don't really happen here. ... I guess we're all kind of naive."

MacTavish Best said that Craigslist "absolutely" helps law enforcement investigate crimes that may be facilitated by the website. She wouldn't comment on whether Savage police contacted the company, because she said police typically ask the company not to comment on specific cases.

"It's kind of hard to check people out beforehand," said Curt Dahle of Bloomington, who is selling a mountain bike on Craigslist. "You have to go with your gut instincts, to see if they're a freak or a decent person."

curt.brown@startribune.com • 612-673-4767 ejohns@startribune.com • 612-673-7460