Among Friends

[Villagesbabe]

I received this email news about a new car hyjacking method - thought it is so important, I would pass it on - so terrible!

WARNING
This is the thing these days, with people out of work and needing cash (mainly for drugs!).     Beware, it's headed your way.

Just last weekend on Friday night we parked in a public parking area.  As we drove away I noticed a sticker on the rear window of the car.  When I got home and took it off, it was a receipt for gas.  Luckily my friend had told me not to stop as it could be someone waiting for me to get out of   the car.     Then we received this email yesterday:

WARNING FROM POLICE :     THIS APPLIES TO BOTH WOMEN AND MEN.

BEWARE OF A PIECE OF PAPER ON THE BACK WINDOW OF YOUR VEHICLE (A NEW WAY TO DO   CARJACKING!)  (NOT A JOKE!)

Heads up everyone!  Please, keep this circulating.

You walk across the parking lot, unlock your car and get inside. You start the engine and shift into reverse.
When you look into the rearview mirror to back out of your parking space, you notice a piece of paper stuck to the middle of the rear window.  So, you shift into Park, 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 carjackers appear out of nowhere, jump into your car and take off.  They practically mow you down as they speed off in your car.   And guess what, ladies ?  I bet   your purse is still in the car!   So now the carjacker has your car, your home address, your money, and your keys.  Your home and your whole identity are now compromised!

BEWARE OF THIS NEW SCHEME THAT IS NOW BEING USED.

If you see a piece of paper stuck to your back window, just drive away.  Remove the paper later!  And be thankful that you read this   e-mail .

I hope you will forward this to friends and family, especially to women.  A purse contains all kinds of personal information and identification documents, and you certainly do NOT want it to fall into the wrong hands.

Please keep this going and tell all your family and friends!

[spent2much]

Thank you very much.  I checked it out on snopes.com and it appears to be a real threat.  I've forwarded it to several people.  Thanks, again.

[OceanDreamer]

Paper-on-Rear-Window Carjacking Scheme - Urban Legends

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/crime/a/carjacking.htm

Updated January 5, 2017

"A viral rumor warns of a "new carjacking scheme" involving the placement of a flyer, piece of paper, or $100 bill on the victim's rear window to trick them into exiting the vehicle while the engine is still running.

No actual instances of this have been documented.

Description: Online rumor
Circulating since: Feb. 2004
Status: Unsubstantiated

Analysis of Carjacking Scheme Viral Email

It's plausible, could happen, and for all we know has happened.

But despite the fact that this viral warning has been in non-stop circulation since February 2004,

there is no published report confirming that an incident of this kind actually took place.

Police do warn drivers to be wary of strangers approaching with flyers, asking for directions, faking a fender-bender, or using other pretexts to gain access to a vehicle and its driver, but judging from the available data a typical carjacker is more likely to flash a weapon and try to remove you from your car by force than to try to trick you into exiting of your own accord.

While it's prudent to take stock of this warning and keep it in mind as one method a carjacker might use to separate drivers from their vehicles, it's equally prudent to note that, like most viral warnings of its kind, its claims are unsubstantiated.

Whatever strategy a carjacker may employ, it's sure to include trying to take the victim by surprise.

Much more important than worrying about whether or not to remove a piece of paper stuck to your rear window, therefore — in any situation where you may be vulnerable to theft or assault — is staying aware of your surroundings and taking note of who may be lurking in the vicinity as you enter or exit your automobile."

~

[OceanDreamer]

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@spent2much wrote:

Thank you very much.  I checked it out on snopes.com and it appears to be a real threat.  I've forwarded it to several people.  Thanks, again.

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The Snopes article I read  classifies it as false.

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/carjack.asp

[AKgirl2]

Thank you for this information, certainly a great heads up and good to know.  I've passed it on...

[dooBdoo]

          This story itself is actually classified as false and a hoax, going back to about 13 years ago.

          The good thing about it is a reminder to be aware of our surroundings.    The bad thing, in my opinion, is using fabricated stories or sharing them without verifing them first, because we don't really need false tales to teach us about safety practices.   (Not intended as a personal criticism of anyone on the thread, by the way, just my feeling after seeing these over the years.)   I've learned that the multi-shared/multi-forwarded email messages (or Facebook posts) quite often are not based in fact and they're well worth checking out before passing them along.  

[Villagesbabe]

Good if this is not valid, but it could happen... better safe than sorry.

[AKgirl2]

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@dooBdoo wrote:

          This story itself is actually classified as false and a hoax, going back to about 13 years ago.

          The good thing about it is a reminder to be aware of our surroundings.    The bad thing, in my opinion, is using fabricated stories or sharing them without verifing them first, because we don't really need false tales to teach us about safety practices.   (Not intended as a personal criticism of anyone on the thread, by the way, just my feeling after seeing these over the years.)   I've learned that the multi-shared/multi-forwarded email messages (or Facebook posts) quite often are not based in fact and they're well worth checking out before passing them along.  

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@dooBdoo ~ it's always better to be aware (with information) and try to stay safe than be sorry.

[dooBdoo]

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AKgirl wrote:

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dooBdoo wrote:

          This story itself is actually classified as false and a hoax, going back to about 13 years ago.

          The good thing about it is a reminder to be aware of our surroundings.    The bad thing, in my opinion, is using fabricated stories or sharing them without verifing them first, because we don't really need false tales to teach us about safety practices.   (Not intended as a personal criticism of anyone on the thread, by the way, just my feeling after seeing these over the years.)   I've learned that the multi-shared/multi-forwarded email messages (or Facebook posts) quite often are not based in fact and they're well worth checking out before passing them along.  

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@dooBdoo ~ it's always better to be aware and try to stay safer than sorry.

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          I want everyone to be safe, that's for sure.    But my point is that we don't need to use fake stories to learn about safety.    Doing so has caused people to either believe hoaxes that can be harmful or to become cynical from seeing so many of these over the years and, as a result, ignoring warnings that are real.

          I think the best thing to do is take either the general topic of, or a recognizable sentence from, the multi-shared email or Facebook post and do an internet search before sharing.  Or try the topic and add the word "hoax" in your search.

          In this case, a search for "BEWARE OF A PIECE OF PAPER ON THE BACK WINDOW OF YOUR VEHICLE (A NEW WAY TO DO   CARJACKING!)  (NOT A JOKE!)" in quotation marks immediately results in a list of articles explaining the hoax.  

          What we usually find is not just the info that explains that the stories aren't factual, we normally will also see good safety tips we can then share instead of the fake anecdotes.

[spent2much]

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@OceanDreamer wrote:

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@spent2much wrote:

Thank you very much.  I checked it out on snopes.com and it appears to be a real threat.  I've forwarded it to several people.  Thanks, again.

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The Snopes article I read  classifies it as false.

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/carjack.asp

 You're right!  I hadn't scrolled down far enough on the page.  Sorry.