Criminals and their stupidty are taking over social media

We all love to hear about criminals who make a mockery of themselves through their actions, in turn speeding up the long arm of the law. ‘Stupid’ criminals (and unfortunate Joe Soaps) are everywhere and they are taking over social media and the Internet in full force.

Four examples pop into my mind and I have fondly named them as follows (drum role please): Catch me if you Can, The Facebook-aholics, The Twitter Files and The Unfortunate Soul. I’m sure that there are many out there and many more to follow, ensuring that we get a few chuckles and laughs along the way.

I feel like I should be reading out the beginning lines of ‘Law & Order’ and end off with ‘…and these are their stories. Dam dam’.

Catch me if you Can

Lets set the scene. It’s Britain and the year is 2009. Escaped convict Craig “Lazie” Lynch, has outwitted the police force and is free. You would think that would be enough for anyone, but not for Craig. He wanted international fame, while taking a few stabs at the good ol’ coppers who were trying to catch him.

Craig repeatedly made mocking posts, suitable pictures included, of him enjoying his newfound freedom. Over his reign, he drew over 40 000 people to his Facebook page, with others creating support groups, t-shirts and a tribute song in his honour – I kid you not.

The Facebook-aholics

Lets be honest here, how many of us check Facebook all too often during the day? There is a line though and we know not to check it while out for dinner with the significant other, while swimming and other such key moments. It’s an unspoken rule, a gentlemen’s agreement if we can put it this way.

Not for many criminals though, who have an urge to check their Facebook profiles while still in the houses that they are robbing. This story, and trust me there are many of these out there, takes place in Pennsylvania. Jonathan Parker just had to check his Facebook and update his status, so he logged in and just forgot to log out of his account. I shudder to think of the gene pool this lad came from.

The Twitter Files

Two old friends try and prove their manliness over Twitter and start having an online hissy fit. Words get tweeted, emotions hurt, threats made. Later one is found dead.

Turns out that the tweets between the two might be included into the case to show that there was bad blood between them; I would like to call this motive and quite damning evidence. Welcome to what some call the First Twitter Murder. Yes, how not to get caught. Tell everyone on Twitter.

And now for one final blow.

The Unfortunate Soul

Authorities are really touchy when it comes to bomb threats and taking sharp objects on a plane; anyone who has so much as stepped into an airport realises the importance of not mentioning certain words and more importantly not to crack jokes at airport employees about such things (it just doesn’t gel with them).

Paul Chambers, a British national, had his flight cancelled, moved and delayed during the first heavy snow falls that the UK experienced not too long ago. As is natural, his patience ran thin. Jokingly he tweeted that he would blow up the airport if he could not fly out in a week’s time.

This was no laughing matter for the powers that be, who arrested him for violating the Terrorism Act. He has since been released on bail and has been banned from that particular airport.

Am I the only one that a) gets amazed at the sheer stupidity of criminals
b) their want/need for fame
c) the support society gives them and
d) the cruel realisation that not everyone likes your jokes

Scratch the scenario in George Orwell’s book ‘1984’, welcome to 2010 where our Big Brother is watching, listening and tweeting back.