Oakland County business owner's number placed in pornographic Craigslist ad

Phone number tied to pornographic ad online

OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Dann Hart was in the middle of striping a parking lot when his cellphone exploded with texts and calls.

"All of a sudden I was getting texts and calls, and I was like, 'What is going on?' I asked a guy how he got my number and he told me Craigslist," said Hart.

Someone had attached the number for Hart's cellphone, which he also uses for business, to a pornographic ad on the site. The ad pretends to be a young girl and it offers up all sorts of sexual services.

Hart contacted Craigslist and the ad was ultimately taken down. He also contacted police, who at first thought it might have been a mistake. That's when the second ad hit -- same explicit content. This was no mistake.

"Just the naked texts alone were over 100," he said.

Hart has a fairly good idea who is behind it and has informed police. Legal experts told Local 4 whoever this is could be in for a world of hurt, potentially charged under the stalking statute and easily found liable if sued civilly.

Those who engage in this kind of behavior aren't anonymous, either. Craigslist will turn over all relevant data like IP addresses if subpoenaed. The website has already sent Hart the appropriate paperwork to fill out in order to get the information.

One thing is clear, our laws on the books have not kept up with technology. Hart can fight to make this stop, but it requires jumping through all sorts of hoops.

Already lawmakers in Lansing are introducing bills to try to give victims of cyberattacks like this a voice. For example, state Sen. Steve Bieda, D-Warren, has introduced legislation dealing with so-called "revenge porn."


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