More Evidence That Online Information Is Not Always Credible

from the weeding-out-the-idiots dept

Fri, Dec 12th 2008 6:33pm — Mike Masnick

Apparently, some people have to learn the hard way that not all online information is credible. The Smoking Gun has the rather amusing details of a trio of women in Ohio who tried to follow some downloaded instructions on "how to commit armed robbery in six easy steps." The suggestions were tongue-in-cheek, but it appears the would be armed robbers followed them as if they were serious. Luckily the manager of the Dollar Tree store they tried to hold up (Dollar Tree? Seriously? Don't you usually try to rob some place that has expensive stuff?) appears to have read the "how to foil moron armed robbers in one easy step" and told them that she could not open the safe. The "six easy step" plan apparently did not have instructions for such a scenario, and the robbers left, only to be apprehended by police (complete with the 6-easy-steps printouts) soon after. You can see the entire "six easy steps" at the link above, in case you're planning to fail at an armed robbery any time soon.

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Filed Under: online information, robbery

16 Comments

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Kevin Donovan, 12 Dec 2008 @ 7:08pm

Source?
You sure you didn't find that one in The Onion?
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Karl, 12 Dec 2008 @ 7:46pm

I thought you were going to talk about techdirt when I read this headline.
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Rosetta Stoned, 12 Dec 2008 @ 7:57pm

Re: Source?
That was my thought too, which makes it even funnier, if the perps actually followed the armed robbery instructions they found from an Onion article.

A halfway educated person would have recognized the subtle clues in the article - including the suggestion to "carry a large sack, preferably with a big dollar sign printed on the front," and "your getaway vehicle should be motorized (no scooters)." Thank God most criminals are dumb.
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Anonymous Coward, 12 Dec 2008 @ 9:16pm

Re: Re: Source?
As humorous as this may be, my favorite "idiot" criminal has always been a woman in Orlando, FL who flagged down a patrol car to demand the arrest of a person who had just sold her some "bad" crack. To prove her point she took out the bag for the police officer.

A close second, though, is the person who broke through the skylight of a liquor store at night to rob the place. Problem is he did not count on the skylight being so high that he could not escape. I am certain that a video highlighting his stupidity can be seen on YouTube. It is a "must see" on how not to plan an escape.
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Not Me, 12 Dec 2008 @ 9:41pm

Dollar stores = Cash...harder to trace.
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Rose M. Welch, 12 Dec 2008 @ 10:17pm

Why Not Dollar Tree?
As a jewelry store manager, I can tell you that most of the old cash-rich business are no longer cash rich. We now have customers who pay for their large purchases with their bank cards, so the amount of cash on hand is really limited. In addition, what cash we do have on hand is more secure, due to our YEARS of experience with criminals.

Presumably, Dollar Tree would have a drawer full of cash because they limit their payment options, making cash the most convenient way to shop there. In addition, nobody thinks of Dollar Tree as being a very sophisticated place, making it the perfect target for that sort of crime.
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Lawrence D'Oliveiro, 12 Dec 2008 @ 10:43pm

And This Evidence Is To Be Found Where?
Online.
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Dec 2008 @ 3:42am

"now that your chances of being caught have been reduced by 0.001%"

classic
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Dec 2008 @ 5:18am

Re:
Take a hike, Troll.
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Lucretious, 13 Dec 2008 @ 7:07am

Please, please tell me they used a "big sack" with a dollar sign on it......
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TEA-Time, 13 Dec 2008 @ 11:17am

These are the same type of idiots that make the Nigerian scams and spam in general lucrative. I wonder if that lady from Oregon is their mother...

Found it! http://www.listentome.net/stuff56.php
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Anonymous Coward, 13 Dec 2008 @ 11:25am

Ah, I see where they screwed up. The instructions say to go to "Rob-a-Mart", not Dollar Tree!
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Pudro, 13 Dec 2008 @ 3:16pm

Re: Source?
It's The Smoking Gun. It has all of the relevant public documents right there for anyone who is smart enough to click "Next".
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Dec 2008 @ 10:44am

Re: Re:
lol. me too Karl!

Take a stroll sucker :-P
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Slartibartfast, 14 Dec 2008 @ 2:27pm

Moron Mirth
Just think how much less humour there would be in the world if it wasn't for the existence of imbeciles like these.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Dec 2008 @ 8:20am

"On a side note, you may want to bring this guide with you in case you get stuck."

well, at least these guys can follow directions well....
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