More Evidence That Online Information Is Not Always Credible

from the weeding-out-the-idiots dept

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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Comments on “More Evidence That Online Information Is Not Always Credible”

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16 Comments
Rosetta Stoned says:

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.

Anonymous Coward says:

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.

Rose M. Welch says:

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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