No Charges Laid in Bizarre Craigslist Scam; Police Say No Laws Broken
Providentia
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
A Central Florida woman has been told by police that there is nothing they can do in a bizarre case involving a man who hired her through Craigslist. Janet Schulte said that she answered a Craigslist advertisement seeking someone to care for an adult with severe disabilities. The man placing the ad described the patient as his "brother with diminished mental capacity". Although she never met the brother who placed the ad, she carried out all caregiving duties (including bottle-feeding and changing diapers) on her charge and was paid 600 dollars a month. Despite speaking to the "brother" on the phone, he avoided any direct meeting.
It was only after three months that Schulte, who had become suspicious due to behavioural changes in her patient and delinquent payments, discovered that she had been the victim of a scam. The man for whom she had been caring was actually feigning mental impairments and had placed the ad himself. According to Schulte, the man never "broke character" and played his role well. Despite going to police, Schulte and her husband have been told that no laws have been broken since she was paid for her services.
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