Warning

A reader sent me this gem from hoaxland.  It contains no less than THREE hoax warnings, all rolled into one email.

They contain the usual give away for hoaxes:  Forward this to every one you know, it happened a few weeks ago (no date given), shock horror language etc.

NEVER forward a scare story to ANYONE without checking it on the internet first.  They are designed to frighten people and turn you into a spammer (sending it to everyone you know).  Stop and think – if someone sent you a chain letter in the post – would you pass it on?  You wouldn’t, would you.  Why do people pass on chain emails but no chain letters?

The Police don’t send out random emails warning random people of random situations.  They have better things to do – like catching criminals.  They are at full stretch doing their real work.

The last message in this compilation (Brian Molloy) was one of the first posts on my original spam blog (http://spam-and-phishing.blogspot.com/2008/11/brian-molloy.html).  A quick search of the internet tells me the M3 hoax has been around for well over a year.

PLEASE TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO READ

An important message from the Police – please pass this along to all the women you know…..

This actually happened a few weeks ago on the M3 FLEET SERVICES!!!  It was early evening, and a young girl stopped to get petrol.  She filled her tank and walked into the store to pay for her petrol.  The cashier told her, ‘Don’t pay for your petrol yet……walk around the store for a while, and act as if you’re picking up some other things to buy.  A man just got into the back of your car.  I’ve called the police, and they’re on their way’.  When the police arrived, they found the man in the back seat of the girl’s car and asked him what he was doing.  He replied, he was joining a gang, and the initiation to join is to kidnap a woman and bring her back to the gang to be raped by every member of the gang.  If the woman was still alive by the time they finish with her then they let her go.
According to the police that night, there is a new gang forming here, originating from London.  The scary part of this is, because the guy didn’t have a weapon on him, the police could only charge him with trespassing…. He’s back on the street and free to try again.  Something similar to this happened at the Tesco garage on Cardiff Road in Newport recently, but luckily the cashier saw the man get into her car.

Please be aware of what’s going on around you, and warn your family and friends.  LADIES, you or one of your family or friends could be the next victim.

Please forward this on to everyone you know.  Please do not discard this message; it is very important that everyone knows what is happening.  Please be careful when leaving your vehicle, and make sure it is  ALWAYS LOCKED  to prevent this from happening to you.

MET POLICE

Subject: POLICE INFORMATION – NOT A JOKE – ACTUAL SAFETY ADVICE

The first bit is mainly for women, but boys, please read it and send it on to any women you care about.  The second bit is a warning to all of us!

Some sound advice for us all, as we all sometimes forget to take our common sense with us when we go out.  This is from Northants Police Women….. In light of the recent kidnapping and now murder of Leigh Mathews, I think it is important to read the following info form your own safety.
Things women should know to stay safe:  Please take the time to read these pointers.  There may be just one or two you hadn’t thought of.  After reading this, forward
it to someone you care about.  It never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.

1.   Tip from Tae Kwon Do:  The elbow is the strongest point on your body.  If you are close enough to use it, do!
2.   If a robber asks for your handbag, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM.  Toss it away from you….. he is probably more interested in your handbag than you, and he will go for the handbag.  RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
3.   If you are ever thrown into the boot of a car:  Kick out the back tail lights, and stick your arm through the hole and start waving.  The driver won’t see you, but everybody else will.  This has saved lives.

4.   Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc, and just sit (doing their cheque book, or making a list).   DON’T DO THIS!   A
predator could be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, and attack you.   AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR
CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.

5.   A few notes about getting into your car in a car park:

a)   Be aware:  look around you, look into your car, look at the passenger side floor, and check the back seat.

b)   If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door.  Most attackers surprise their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.

c)   Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side.  If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the shop, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out.  IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY.  (And better paranoid than dead.)

6.   ALWAYS take the lift instead of the stairs.  Stairwells are horrible places to be alone, and the perfect crime spot.

7.   If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN!   The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; and even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ.  RUN!

8.   As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic:  STOP IT!   It may get you raped, or killed.  Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women.  He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked “for help” into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

9.   Another safety point:  Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird.  The police told her, ‘Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.’  The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over.  The policeman said, ‘We already have a unit on the way.  Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.’  He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby’s cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes, thinking that someone dropped off a baby.  He
said they have not verified it, but have had several calls from women saying that they hear babies’ cries outside their doors when they’re home alone at night.
Please pass this on, and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby.
I’d like you to forward this to all the women you know.  It may save a life.  A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle.  Send this to any woman you know who may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it, and it’s better safe than sorry.
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE  POLICE – Visit us at
http://www.northants..police.uk/

TO ALL CAR OWNERS AND CAR DRIVERS:  PLEASE READ
Warning!!!!   Be aware of new car-jacking scheme ….
You walk across the car park, unlock your car and get inside.  Then you lock all your doors, start the engine and shift or put into reverse.  You look into the rear-view mirror to back out of your parking space, and you notice a piece of paper stuck to the middle of the rear window.  So, you shift the gear stick back into park or neutral,
unlock your doors and jump out of your car to remove that paper, or whatever it is that is obstructing your view.

When you reach the back of your car, that is when the car-jackers appear out of nowhere, jump into your car and take off!!  Your engine was running, you would have left your purse in the car, and they practically mow you down as they speed off in your car.

BE AWARE OF THIS NEW SCHEME THAT IS NOW BEING USED IN LONDON, MANCHESTER, AND MAKING ITS WAY ACROSS THE COUNTRY!!!

Just drive away, and remove the paper later!  It is stuck to your window, and be thankful that you read this email.
I hope you will forward this to friends and family, especially to women!   A purse contains all identification, and you certainly do NOT want someone getting your home address.  They already HAVE your keys!

JUST BE AWARE AND TAKE CARE — IT WILL PROBABLY SOON ARRIVE IN YOUR AREA ….
Brian Molloy
Detective Constable Force
Intelligence Bureau
Strathclyde Police
0141 532 5867