You would think that, given the amount of heisted property that gets listed for sale on Craigslist ever day, the criminal masterminds out there would know to not post any information that could immediately identify them to the authorities. And yet, a man from Indiana is behind bars right now, all because he didn’t follow this simple rule.

According to police, the man in question was attempting to sell a stolen trailer on Craigslist (we’re assuming he wasn’t actually dumb enough to list it as “stolen”) and posted a phone number for any interested buyers.

Suspecting the trailer listed on the site had been heisted, a police officer tracked the seller down and questioned him about the trailer. Police say he refused to answer any questions about himself or the trailer, which had been spray painted since being illegally obtained.

That’s when the officer asked the rightful owner of the trailer to call the number listed in the ad. Not surprisingly, the phone belonging to the seller started ringing.

The seller was subsequently arrested and faces charges of receiving stolen property.

So let this be a lesson to anyone hoping to fence stolen goods on Craigslist — Create a new e-mail address, get a pre-paid cellphone… anything to put an inch of distance between your real identity and your craigslist ad. Otherwise, you’ll likely end up behind bars.

Who are we kidding? If you’re trying to make a living by selling stolen goods online, you’re probably not far from a visit to the big house anyway.

Louisville police say man busted by cell phone [Fox41.com]

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