Like many couples who decide to divorce, Carol and Larry were concerned about the time and cost that would be involved in the process. Married for 13 years with no children, both spouses had full-time jobs, separate retirement accounts, and owned a home together. The split had been mutual and both had already begun dating.

As they looked around at their divorce options, Larry found an interesting ad on Craigslist that promised a legal New Jersey divorce for the flat rate cost of $399. According to the ad, the divorce would be “facilitated” by a local paralegal and was completely legitimate and binding. The website linked to from the ad even showed photos of divorce decrees signed off by a Superior Court Judge.

Move on with their lives for the low cost of a few hundred dollars? Larry and Carol felt like the fates were smiling on them.

They couldn’t have been more wrong. Read more