Rumors & Hoaxes - Stay Out of Malls on Halloween E-mail

[dragonladybug]

In case you receive this e-mail, here's the "scoop" from the Internet Hoax Page of About.com:

(the original e-mail is posted below)



Comments: A frightening rumor indeed, but it's crucial to remember that in the absence of substantiating evidence or confirmation from authorities it is only that: a rumor.



The FBI says it has received no such letter as the one described above. Does it even exist?  We doubt it.



This is one of those rare cases where the name and contact information of the original author appears intact on copies of a widely forwarded email. We have spoken to that author, Laura Katsis, who told us she passed the information on to friends because she believes it to be true.



However, in classic "I heard it from a friend of a friend" fashion, Ms. Katsis admits she is not personally acquainted with the woman the information originally came from and cannot vouch for its authenticity. This by no means proves the claims false, but it does give us very good reason to be skeptical until information from more credible sources is available.



Different versions: Who do you believe?



Variant: 'My Friend Colleen...'

"My friend Colleen arrived for a facial when FBI agents were leaving Murad on Sunday, October 7, 2001. They were there to interrogate a girl who worked there to find out if she knew anything. The reason for their lead was she was best friends with a girl who was dating an Arab man, who disappeared and was involved in the terrorist attacks on the WTC...."

Variant: 'My Friend Jill...'

"My friend Jill was here today and her brother works down in Princeton with a girl who had been going out with an Arab man for about a year. They had a date on 9/6/01 and he never showed up. She went to his apartment and it was emptied out. A few days later on 9/8 or 9/9, he sent her an email...."



Variant: 'From Someone Who Works at Sprint...'

"This is from someone here at Sprint that has a longtime friend. They were talking on the phone last night and this friend told her of a good friend of hers that was dating someone from Afghanistan. Anyway... to make a long story short... he never showed for a date w/her (which was on 9/6) and when she went to his house to find him the place was completely empty. Then on 9/10 she rcvd a letter from him...."





Original e-mail:



Hi All -

 

I think you all know that I don't send out hoaxes and don't do

the reactionary thing and send out anything that crosses my path.  This one, however, is a friend of a friend and I've given it enough  credibility in my mind that I'm writing it up and sending it out to all of you.



My friend's friend was dating a guy from Afghanistan up until a month ago. She had a date with him around 9/6 and was stood up. She was understandably upset and went to his home to find it completely emptied.



On 9/10, she received a letter from her boyfriend explaining that he wished he could tell her why he had left and that he was sorry it had to be like that. The part worth mentioning is that he BEGGED her not to get on any commercial airlines on 9/11 and to not to go any malls on Halloween.

 

As soon as everything happened on the 11th, she called the FBI and has since turned over the letter. This is not an email that I've received and decided to pass on. This came from a phone conversation with a long-time friend of mine last night.



I may be wrong, and I hope I am. However, with one of his warnings being correct and devastating, I'm not willing to take the chance on the second and wanted to make sure that people I cared about had the same information that I did.



Laura Katsis

Implementation Specialist

714/921-5424

lkatsis@volt.com

OpsVolt_Track@volt.com



 

[radaro]

I just laugh at most of these "friend of a friend" stories.  It's like the old style gossip that you see in the old tv shows with the women hanging out the laundry and talking over fences.



BTW, why do I stay out of the malls?

[dragonladybug]

I guess the implication is that there will be terrorist attacks at some malls on Halloween.



It amazes me how many people forward these things to everyone they know - whether they believe it or not they'll send it "just in case".  I have already received this one from 3 different people.

 

[radaro]

Okay, now that you edited your original post and added the original e-Mail, my first post looks a bit stupid.  Oh well, not the first time although I usually can do that on my own.  

[dragonladybug]

Sorry about that RadarO!!  I posted and then realized I forgot the original story - no wonder you were confused.  That's like only being able to remember the punchline but not the joke!

[daisylee]

Someone has sent me this exact email...and though I think anything is possible, do I believe this?  Naw, and I live near the 2nd largest mall in the country, Woodfield.  Don't you wonder about the real motives of someone sending this stuff out?  Is it really out of genuine concern, or is it some malicious, sick joke?  We have been burned, so now we're afraid to light matches?  Isn't this what they really want?  Ruin our economy, make us vunerable? Just remember, your chances of getting harmed in this type of incident are probably smaller than those of having an auto accident that day!

Now, I hope you all understand I'm not telling you to disregard your personal safety, just take everything with a grain of salt.  I'm hoping our national security is under great enough scrutiny to prevent something like this from happening!



Daisylee (remembering my favorite quoter of FDR, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!")



Keep the faith folks!

[spitfire78]

So, this morning one of my coworkers announces to the office, " I heard the spookiest thing last night.  My best friend told me that someone who works in her husband's office has a friend who was dating..." and then proceeds to tell the whole story practically word for word.  She ended the tale with "Boy that really has me scared!"  Thanks to Dragonladybug I was able to tell her that the whole thing was a hoax.  I even went to About.com and printed out the entire story including the FBI update of it.  She couldn't believe it because this was her best friend who she trusts more than anybody.  It never fails to amaze me how people pick up these stories and just pass them around without knowing for sure whether they are really true!  Some people are so gullible it is unbelievable.  Me, I don't believe ANYTHING unless it is proven to me (no, I'm not from Missouri).

[elleny]

I've got a theory on this one.  Maybe someone thought this up to actually hurt the economy.  To make us all afraid to go outside and shop.





Ellen (just my $.02) in TX

[chris68]

My theory on this one is that it's already working on its own here, AND anything that says pass along to everyone you know, usually it's a hoax, and it's already a virus because we continue to pass these things along.



I would go to mcaffee.com and check out their hoaxes list BEFORE posting anything or emailing.  I can't tell you how many emails I get that are just junk chain letters and end up deleting them.  I've asked friends and family to please think before they click that send button, but just doesn't always last.  So now after 9/11, I am getting a bunch more.  Common sense folks.



Chris68

[andrea843]

hey my first reaction was that Volt.com must be thrilled to have the publicity and the warm fuzzy feeling of knowing one of their employees helped to perpetuate such a hoax.  As good a case for an internet usage policy as I've ever seen.



Sorry can't believe she did this on the company email.



:shakin my head in London:



Andrea

[radaro]

I just got this hilarious e-Mail from my sister which seems to be a new chain letter in response to the "Hallowe'en" one.  I won't forward it as a chain but thought it was a funny reaction to this.  Make special note of the "source"



Don't go to the bathroom on October 28th. CIA intelligence reports that a major plot is planned for that day. Anyone who takes a poop on the 28th will be bitten on the ass by an alligator. Reports indicate that organized groups of alligators are planning to rise up into unsuspecting American's toliet bowls and bite them when they are doing their dirty business.



I usually don't send emails like this, but I got this information from a reliable source. It came from a friend of a friend whose cousin is dating this girl whose brother knows this guy whose wife knows this lady whose husband buys hotdogs from this guy who knows a shoeshine guy who shines the shoes of a mailroom worker who has a friend who's drug dealer sells drugs to another mailroom worker who works in the CIA building. He apparently overheard two guys talking in the bathroom about alligators and came to the conclusion that we are going to be attacked. So it must be true.

[chris68]

Radar....you got me laughing in the office and that is sometimes hard to do.  Thanks needed the laugh      !



This is too cute!  Wonder if I were to send this out how many folks would tend to rethink and wonder if it were true or not, unless I told them yes, it was a joke!  



Chris68

[countrigal]

Chris, I know that if I were to send it out, atleast 2 people in my own family would forward it thinking it was truth...  :::::hanging head in shame:::::  I don't know why they can't just read EVERYTHING and realise it's a joke - instead they'd skim it and get that it came from a source who knew someone in the CIA and let it go at that.  :::sigh:::  Some days it's good to be a ways from the family.  

[dragonladybug]

CountriGal - "I know whut'ya mean about the fambly geniuous, er, genieyos, oh heck, the smart people".  I am from Georgia, ya know.  I have a couple of in-laws that we speak to slowly - they're not really stupid, they just don't listen.  



 

[countrigal]

Heck I always tell my sister that she's just proving that old joke about blondes... She's a natural (couldn't tell by looking at me or the rest of our family) and unfortunately acts ditzy, so...  It's gals like her that gave birth to the blonde jokes unfortunately.  Worse yet - she doesn't always realise when she's being slow, silly, or just downright stupid.  And that's my blood, folks! (hint of Jeff Foxworthy in that line.  )  I kid her that she's lucky her son takes after me.