Page 1 of 2

Entrapment?

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 6:50 pm
by sputnick
Hey everyone,

About 3 days ago I posted an add in craigslist for anyone who would be willing to let me collect the compressor from a fridge they were disposing of

Today I get an email from a guy claiming to have a fridge I can just come and collect the compressor from anytime

I call the number, I get the local police department, this guy is a cop.

Now I'm kind of scared as to whether this guy would know about the laws regarding freon and all that stuff to do with it...

What do you guys think? should I trust this guy and go ahead with it? or is this guy waiting to slap a 10000$ fine on me?

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 7:01 pm
by SEAKING9006
No clue.

But I wouldn't use craigslist in a million years as it is.

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 7:08 pm
by tape fist
I doubt a cop would put a local police departments number on cragslist when trying to sell somthing,instead of his home phone.Besides that i would go there and tell him what i was doing and if he says okay then proceed.

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 7:09 pm
by TurboSuper
How will he know what you're going to do with it?

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 7:10 pm
by sputnick
To tape fist, He is definitely a cop... I called the number, with the extension, and all the names matched up, so I assume he meant for me to contact him at work...

And I like your idea about just asking

@ turbo-

He will know because I said I would just be removing the compressor, I'm not saying hes going to bust me for making guns, but because releasing freon into the atmosphere is a 10000$ no-no

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 7:46 pm
by jmeyer1022
Ask him if you get get the whole unit cause your cautious about accidentally releasing the freon gas into the atmosphere so you'd like the whole unit so you can pay someone to safely remove it. Then actually pay someone or just do it yourself.

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 8:24 pm
by POLAND_SPUD
well people sometimes happend to be cops that's it... I know one who sells illegal software after work :D

if you are affraid just do what jmeyer says

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 8:54 pm
by Combustion Monkey
Its true cops are people too! He probably just wants to get rid of the fridge, and if its gutted so much easier for him.

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 9:16 pm
by frankrede
Combustion Monkey wrote:Its true cops are people too! He probably just wants to get rid of the fridge, and if its gutted so much easier for him.
I highly doubt that if they were trying to catch FREON RELEASERS you would be able to call the number and find out its the police.
I would just ask the guy if he is going to give you a hard time if you just remove the compressor and let the freon out.

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 9:55 pm
by starman
I concur with Frank. If it were an "under cover" sting thing, he wouldn't have had you call the police directly...he would make some attempt to look like a regular guy.

Maybe just offer to take the whole fridge off his hands so he doesn't have to witness " the crime"... :roll: You just need a truck ....most fridges aren't really that heavy...just big. Some hand trucks can get the majority of the work done for you.

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:01 pm
by trigun
Just call and ask if he is an envirmentalist !! :D

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:54 pm
by sputnick
starman wrote: so he doesn't have to witness " the crime"... :roll:
you mock, but if I get slapped with a 10 000$ fine, I will be buried in the storm of sh\t that will rain down on me from my parents...

I will probably just go ahead and do it then, you guys are right, and even if he was, maybe he would take some pity on an innocent 16 year old boy (insert halo here) :D

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 11:15 pm
by frankrede
And worse case scenario if he (which I highly, highly doubt) does try and get at you about it, tell him you needed the part for a project and you didn't know it was illegal to release the gas.

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 11:30 pm
by Davidvaini
Did you tell him you would be releasing the gas or just taking the compressor? If you told him you would be releasing the gas then by all means proceed with caution. But if you told him you just wanted the compressor then there is nothing wrong with that.

Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 11:32 pm
by sputnick
Well in order to get the compressor, I kind of have to release the gas, unless I crimp around the cuts I am going to make, Maybe I will just do that, that way I will minimize the leakage and still get the compressor