"We look forward to speaking directly with Attorney General McMaster about his concerns, and finding ways to address them without compromising the utility of Craigslist for South Carolinians, or anyone's Constitutional rights," wrote Buckmaster. "However, we see no legal basis whatsoever for filing a lawsuit against Craigslist or its principals and hope that the attorney general will realize this upon further reflection."

The Erotic Services category on Craigslist has been under scrutiny since Boston University medical student and arraigned last month for allegedly murdering one woman and kidnapping and assaulting another after meeting both of them through erotic services .

On Monday, Markoff was also charged with assault and weapons charges for allegedly using a gun to threaten a woman in a Rhode Island hotel on an April 16. The woman told police that she had met her assailant through an advertisement on Craigslist.

Then Tuesday, Craigslist executives met with the attorneys general from Missouri, Connecticut and Illinois to discuss the questionable ads.

After the meeting, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal called on the site to "banish virtual streetwalkers and pornography".