Just a question: if this woman was so concerned about her personal info getting out there, why did she have her picture taken for this Internet story?
Charleston, SC- From www.counton2.com- What would you do if someone posted personal photos, your phone number and information, as well as sexually suggestive messages about you online? All this happened to one Lowcountry woman.
Life is scary now for 49-year-old Joan Mullen. The fitness trainer originally from Ireland fell victim to a prank, that turned her life upside down. Mullen says co-workers posted a personal ad about her on Craigslist without her permission. Mullen says, “It’s no laughing matter. You just can’t do stuff like that. There’s no way any body can do something like that to a person.“
The ad contained her photos, the name of the city she lives in, her phone number, as well as sexually suggestive messages. She found out about it, when she received a phone call from a man suggesting sex, one of 52 calls. Mullen says, “I said who is this. I was thinking it was one of my personal training clients and he said, you know who I am? I said no I don’t. He said I know what you want.“ She hung up, he called again. Mullen says, “Then he said to me, you have red hair don’t you? I said yeah. How do you know I had red hair? He said I’m looking at you. I got really nervous, I was shaking, he said this is your number isn’t it.“
Mullen says even though the ad is no longer on the site, she feels violated and fears for her life. Mullen says, “It’s hard. My element of trust in somebody, I think that’s ruined. I’m afraid to trust anybody now, I’m afraid. I feel damaged, I feel damaged, just damaged. It’s devastating because you’re a wide open target. I just felt exploited.“
Mullen says she had a nervous breakdown, and is now seeing a counselor. She is filing a lawsuit against the people responsible for putting her information on Craigslist.
According to Craigslists’ Terms of Use, users have to agree to not post personal or identifying information about another person without that person’s consent.