Current Netlore: Crime
Internet hoaxes, email rumors and urban legends
| Hoax = False, deliberately deceptive information UL = Urban Legend - a popularly believed narrative, typically false Rumor = Anecdotal claims - may be true, false, or in between Junk = Flotsam and jetsam of the Net |
NOTE: You can also locate specific items by typing relevant words into the Search box at the top of any page.
#77 on Cell Phone (Rapist Impersonates Police Officer)
A female student driving home from college foils a phony cop's attempt to pull her over by dialing #77 on her cell phone to contact the real police officer ahead of her.
*677 on Cell Phone (Rapist Impersonates Police Officer - Ontario)
Female college student pulled over in her car by a cop-impersonating would-be rapist is rescued by a real officer after dialing *677 on her cell phone.
6/11 Terror Attack on a U.S. City?
Friend-of-a-friend email rumor warns of indications that a terrorist attack may take place in a large U.S. city (probably New York) on 6/11/04.
809 Area Code Phone Scam Alert
More or less true! This email alert originated in a reputable newsletter and warns of a known telephone scam.
90# Phone Scam Alert
A half dozen or so variations of this alert have been in wide circulation since 1998. The scam is real, but it does not affect typical residential phone customers.
ATM Envelope Poisonings
False rumor declares that a bank customer died after licking a cyanide-coated deposit envelope.
ATM Scam Warning
True! Various warnings describe how thieves rig ATM machines to withhold bank cards which are later retrieved and used to empty victims' bank accounts.
Attempted Child Abduction at Sam's Club
Three email versions are now circulating of this decades-old (and false) urban legend.
Backseat Killers & Ankle-Slashing Gangs
Two more well-known urban legends show up as an email warning.
Bank ATMs Converted to Steal IDs of Bank Customers
TRUE: Email flier describes how criminals install special equipment on ATMs to steal unsuspecting bank customers' card numbers and PINs.
Bloods Initiation Weekend - Don't Flash Your Headlights!
New email variant of a familiar urban legend claims that innocent people who flash their headlights at gang members' cars on the weekend of September 23 and 24, 2005 will be chased down and killed as part of a "gang initiation game."
Blue Packages w/Sponges Containing 'Lethal Substance'
A variant of 2000's "Klingerman Virus" alert. Pay it no heed.
'Blue Packages' Return
In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Net is rife with variants of a year-old rumor about deadly chemicals and viruses circulating by parcel post (also known as the "Klingerman Virus").
'Blue Star' LSD Tattoo
Email alert claims that colorful cartoon stickers laced with LSD pose a threat to children everywhere.
Burundanga Warning
Forwarded emails warn that criminals are using business cards impregnated with a potent street drug called burundanga (aka scopolamine) to incapacitate victims before attacking them.
Camera Cell Phones Used to Take Pictures of Credit Cards for Identity Theft
Email warns that criminals have found a new means of committing identity theft - taking a picture of your credit card with a cell phone camera.
Car-Bumping Gang Initiation Rite
Forwarded email warns that MS-13 gang members are participating in a 'gang initiation rite' wherein they rear-end a car from behind and then shoot the driver when he or she exits the vehicle to check for damage.
Car Magnets Aid Child Predators
Email purportedly written by an abducted teen warns parents not to 'publicize' the whereabouts of their kids to child predators by attaching car magnets containing info about schools and activities to their vehicles.
Car Thieves Using VIN # to Obtain Duplicate Keys
Email flier warns automobile owners to cover the VIN # on their dashboard with tape to prevent car thieves from writing it down and using it to obtain duplicate keys from a dealership.
Car Wash Coin Thieves
Emailed images reveal the real, bird-brained culprits behind a series of coin thefts from a car wash change machine.
Carjacking Scheme
Email flier warns of a 'new carjacking scheme' involving the placement of an advertisement or other piece of paper on the victim's rear window to trick them into exiting the vehicle with the engine running.
Cell Phone Guns
According to this email flier and attached video, law enforcement officials have discovered .22 caliber guns disguised as cell phones being smuggled into western Europe from Croatia.
Cheating at Gas Pumps
Email rumor claims a consumer was cheated by a rigged gas pump while refueling at a BP service station in Cartersville, Georgia.
Citibank Email Scam
Fraudulent email designed to steal personal information sends recipients to a real Citibank Web page but launches a phony pop-up demanding "login" info. Beware!
The Clinton Body Count
Forwarded email dating from the mid-1990s contains a list of dozens of people connected with Bill and Hillary Clinton who -- we are to believe -- died under mysterious circumstances.
Corpses of Children Used to Traffic Drugs
An old urban legend (c. 1973) dressed up in new clothes for the Internet.
Credit Card Fraud Warning
Forwarded email warns of a credit scam in which con artists request the 3-digit code on the back of a credit card to "verify" it.
Darrell Scott's Columbine Testimony
TRUE: Darrell Scott, father of a victim of the Columbine shootings, delivered an impassioned speech before Congress which has since been widely distributed by email.
Doubletree Hotel Key Cards - Identity Theft
False email rumor claims hotel key cards are routinely encoded with customers' personal information, resulting in identity theft by employees.
Drug-Laced Suckers/Lollipops a Threat to Children
Email flier purporting to originate from the North Little Rock Police Department warns parents that drug-laced candy in the form of suckers and lollipops pose a hazard to children and teenagers.
Dumb Burglars Snort Stolen Cremains
As allegedly reported in a Florida newspaper, stupid burglars confuse woman's cremated remains for crack cocaine.
Dumb Criminal Attempts to Rob Crowded Gun Shop
In this email tale circulated during the 1990s and subsequently revived as a "2005 Darwin Award contender," a less-than-clever criminal gets his just desserts when he attempts to rob a crowded gun shop full of well-armed patrons.
FDIC Email 'Phishing' Scam
A fraudulent email purporting to originate from the FDIC uses scare tactics referencing the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S.A. Patriot Act to con users into divulging personal information.
Gang Initiation Killings Threatened in Memphis (2005)
Email rumor warns that a mother and child will be killed at a Memphis shopping mall as part of a planned "gang initiation" rite.
Gang Initiation Threat in Memphis (2007)
Email hoax warns that women will be targeted for gang initation violence in Memphis, Tennessee in December 2007.
Gift Card Scam
Email rumor describes a new scam in which crooks copy down the numbers of gift cards sold on store display racks and use them to make purchases online.
'Good Samaritan' Killer at the Mall
A murderous, well-dressed "good samaritan" supposedly lurks in the parking lots of shopping malls just about everywhere.
'Good Samaritan' Returning $5 Bill May Have Been Serial Killer
Email rumor claims a man posing as a good samaritan attempted to gain entry to a woman's vehicle by "returning" a $5 bill she supposedly dropped. Was he the Baton Rouge serial killer?
The Gun-Toting Granny of Melbourne
Tabloid tale of 81-year-old 'gun-toting granny' Ava Estelle of Melbourne, Australia, who took revenge on two men who raped her granddaughter by shooting their testicles off.
Headlight Flashing 'Gang Initiation Rite'
Urban legend from the early '90s re-emerges as a frightening email alert.
Halloween Warning: Candy-Flavored Meth
Circulating via email, a "Halloween Warning" urges parents to instruct their children to beware of a new form of crystal meth that looks and smells like strawberry Pop Rocks candy and comes in other flavors such as chocolate, peanut butter, and cola.
'Hit Man' Scam Email
Spam message purportedly sent by a hit man hired to 'terminate' the recipient demands a large sum of money in return for not carrying out the mission.
