Dear Jackie et al, This email contains stories that are well known internet hoaxes. Indeed the tale of the man and the flat tyre did the rounds in Canberra not so long ago on email and it caused considerable distress to women who shopped at Belconnen Mall (where the incident was supposed to have occurred in that version of the hoax). Indeed, it caused so much angst that the police put out a statement saying that the story was a complete nonsense and women were being needlessly frightened.
What is particularly concerning about these typical 'American' hoax emails is that they prey on the concerns of women (and men) about crime. Some psychologists argue that the fear of crime is more debilitating to society than the crime itself. It is rubbish that violent crime has dramatically increased over the past few years. Indeed in the USA violent crime is the lowest it has been for two decades (despite the media hype) and in Australia there has only been a minor increase in violence. It is important to be vigilant. It is important to be practical about ones safety, but it is not a good strategy to be paranoid about violence. That is a recipe to live a miserable life. A good place to check if emails are hoaxes is the Urban Legends Reference Pages: http://www.snopes2.com/ or TruthorFiction.com see: http://www.truthorfiction.com/index.html This email is debunked at: http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/flattirekiller.htm Cheers David Vernon (note - Not Barb Vernon, a regular contributor to this list). > > I don't normally send these kind of e-mails but I think this is very > important for women's safety. Especially the stories at the end. > cheers > Jackie Doolan > >> There's two parts to this email. Make sure you read all of it, it could be >> very important someday.. If you got this and you're a guy...Please pass it ... >> >> DON'T GET CAUGHT IN THIS TRAP. >> >> Part Two... >> >> About a month ago there was a woman standing by the mall entrance passing >> out flyers to all the women going in. The woman had written the flyer >> herself to tell about an experience she had, so that she might warn other >> women. >> >> The previous day, this woman had finished shopping, went out to her car > and >> discovered that she had a flat. She got the jack out of the trunk and > began >> to change the flat. A nice man dressed in business suit and carrying a >> briefcase walked up to her and said, "I noticed you're changing a flat >> tire. Would you like me to take care of it for you?" >> The woman was grateful for his offer and accepted his help. They chatted >> amiably while the man changed the flat, and then put the flat tire and the >> jack in the trunk, shut it and dusted his hands off. The woman thanked him >> profusely, and as she was about to get in her car, the man told her that > he >> left his car around on the other side of the mall, and asked if she would >> mind giving him a lift to his car. >> >> She was a little surprised and she asked him why his car was on other > side. >> He explained that he had seen an old friend in the mall that he hadn't > seen >> for some time and they had a bite to eat and visited for a while; he got >> turned around in the mall and left through the wrong exit, and now he was >> running late and his car was clear around on the other side of the mall. >> >> The woman hated to tell him "no" because he had just rescued her from >> having to change her flat tire all by herself, but she felt uneasy. Then >> she remembered seeing the man put his briefcase in her trunk before >> shutting it and before he asked her for a ride to his car. She told him >> that she'd be happy to drive him around to his car, but she just > remembered >> one last thing she needed to buy. She said she would only be a few > minutes; >> he could sit down in her car and wait for her; she would be as quick as > she >> could be. >> >> She hurried into the mall, and told a security guard what had happened; > the >> guard came out to her car with her, but the man had left. They opened the >> trunk, took out his locked briefcase and took it down to the police >> station. >> >> The police opened it (ostensibly to look for ID so they could return it to >> the man). >> What they found was rope, duct tape, and knives. When the police checked >> her "flat" tire, there was nothing wrong with it; the air had simply been >> let out. It was obvious what the man's intention was, and obvious that he >> had carefully thought it out in advance. The woman was blessed to have >> escaped harm. How much worse it would have been if she had children with >> her and had them wait in the car while the man fixed the tire, or if she >> had a baby strapped into a car seat. Or if she'd gone against her judgment >> and given him a lift. >> >> 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. >> >> I was going to send this to the ladies only; but guys, if you love your >> mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you may want to pass it on to >> them, as well. Send this to any woman you know that may need to be > reminded >> that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it....better safe than >> sorry. >> >> PLEASE BE SAFE AND NOT SORRY! JUST A WARNING TO ALWAYS BE ALERT AND USE >> YOUR HEAD!!! >> >> Pass this along to every woman you have access to. Never let your guard >> down. > > -- > This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. > Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe. > -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
