Any truth to this or just another email hoax? (either way it is scary)

[bdog]

> >>***********DANGEROUS PRANK:*****************
> >>>>>>> >Please read and forward to anyone you know who drives.
> >>>>>>> >
> >>>>>>> >
> >>>>>>> >My name is Captain Abraham Sands of the Jacksonville, Florida
Police
> >>>>>>> >Department. I have been asked by state and local authorities to
write
> >>>>>>> >this email in order to get the word out to car drivers of a very
> >>>>>>>dangerous
> >>>>>>> >prank that is occurring in numerous states.
> >>>>>>> >
> >>>>>>> >Some person or persons have been affixing hypodermic needles to
the
> >>>>>>> >underside of gas pump handles. These needles appear to be
infected
> >>>>>>> >with HIV positive blood. In the Jacksonville area alone there
have been
> >>>>>>> >17 cases of people being stuck by these needles over the past
five
> >>>>>>>months.
> >>>>>>> >We have verified reports of at least 12 others in various states
around
> >>>>>>>the
> >>>>>>> >country. It is believed that these may be copycat incidents due
to
> >>>>>>>someone
> >>>>>>> >reading about the crimes or seeing them reported on the
television. At
> >>>>>>>this
> >>>>>>> >point no one has been arrested and catching the perpetrator(s)
has
> >>>>>>>become
> >>>>>>> >our top priority.
> >>>>>>> >
> >>>>>>> >Shockingly, of the 17 people who where stuck, eight have tested
HIV
> >>>>>>> >positive and because of the nature of the disease, the others
could test
> >>>>>>> >positive in a couple years.
> >>>>>>> >
> >>>>>>> >Evidently the consumers go to fill their car with gas, and when
picking
> >>>>>>>up
> >>>>>>> >the pump handle get stuck with the infected needle. IT IS
IMPERATIVE
> >>>>>>> >TO CAREFULLY CHECK THE HANDLE of the gas pump each time you use
one.
> >>>>>>> >LOOK AT EVERY SURFACE YOUR HAND MAY TOUCH, INCLUDING UNDER THE
HANDLE.
> >>>>>>> >
> >>>>>>> >If you do find a needle affixed to one, immediately contact your
local
> >>>>>>> >police department so they can collect the evidence.
> >>>>>>> >
> >>>>>>> >***********PLEASE HELP US BY MAINTAINING A VIGILANCE AND BY
FORWARDING
> >>>>>>> >THIS EMAIL TO ANYONE YOU KNOW WHO DRIVES. THE MORE PEOPLE WHO
KNOW OF
> >>>>>>> >THIS THE BETTER PROTECTED WE CAN ALL BE.
> >>>>
> ===== Comments by CARMENM@TRINITY (Carmen McMurrey) at 6/19/00 10:39 am
>
>
>

[ScaryBinary]

This is a prank.

Years ago, this prank was circulated warning people about infected needles in the coin return dishes of pay phones. Next time it'll be the space bar on your keyboard.

If you reply to this message 3,476 times, though, Bill Gates will buy little cancer infested Timmy a ticket to Disney World. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

Scary http://members.iquest.net/~stonerville/sb02.gif Binary

[This message has been edited by ScaryBinary (edited 07-26-2000).]

[MadMatt]

Check it out: http://www.urbanlegends.com/ulz/needles.html

[ScaryBinary]

...And also Don't Spread That Hoax! (http://www.nonprofit.net/hoax/hoax.html)

Scary http://members.iquest.net/~stonerville/sb02.gif Binary

[chipbgt]

sounds a lot like the bank envelope glue laced with arsenic.... http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[Roy]

A little off subject, but get eCleaner (http://www.zdnet.com/downloads/stories/info/0,,000XUH,.html). It makes that kind of email look like this in just a few seconds :

***********DANGEROUS PRANK:*****************
Please read and forward to anyone you know who drives.

My name is Captain Abraham Sands of the Jacksonville, Florida Police Department. I have been asked by state and local authorities to write this email in order to get the word out to car drivers of a very dangerous prank that is occurring in numerous states.

Some person or persons have been affixing hypodermic needles to the underside of gas pump handles. These needles appear to be infected with HIV positive blood. In the Jacksonville area alone there have been 17 cases of people being stuck by these needles over the past five months.
We have verified reports of at least 12 others in various states around the country. It is believed that these may be copycat incidents due to someone reading about the crimes or seeing them reported on the television. At this point no one has been arrested and catching the perpetrator(s) has become our top priority.

Shockingly, of the 17 people who where stuck, eight have tested HIV positive and because of the nature of the disease, the others could test positive in a couple years.

Evidently the consumers go to fill their car with gas, and when picking up the pump handle get stuck with the infected needle. IT IS IMPERATIVE TO CAREFULLY CHECK THE HANDLE of the gas pump each time you use one. LOOK AT EVERY SURFACE YOUR HAND MAY TOUCH, INCLUDING UNDER THE HANDLE.

If you do find a needle affixed to one, immediately contact your local police department so they can collect the evidence.

***********PLEASE HELP US BY MAINTAINING A VIGILANCE AND BY FORWARDING THIS EMAIL TO ANYONE YOU KNOW WHO DRIVES. THE MORE PEOPLE WHO KNOW OF THIS THE BETTER PROTECTED WE CAN ALL BE.

===== Comments by CARMENM@TRINITY (Carmen McMurrey) at 6/19/00 10:39 am

[scotter]

dont get ecleaner just dont forward e-mails 99% of all the forwarded junk I get is just that JUNK and gets deleted

[bdog]

I figured it was a hoax, but I have to admit, I will probably be checking the pump next time I fill up. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[GroundZero3]

Ah yes i remeber these stories. i remeber my mom getting an email and she started to freak out. i also heard of the one where you go to a club someone puts a sticker on you that has little needles and the sticker says you infected with HIV now. Some people just have to much time on there hands. doesn't the aids virus die when exposed to air anywayz?
JaYsin

[dgardner]

Well sounds nasty but this one is true.

About a year a go a man contracted AID's (or HIV) from a women at our local night club. Well he understandably got a bit upset about this and decided to reap his revenge on the world and started stabbing people outside the night club with infected needles; thwe nightclub nearly got shutdown and every friday night there was an ambulance parked outside offering free HIV tests to those who thought they had been stabbed.

But happy ending to it all was that the man who did the stabbbing got caught and nobody was infected.

~Dave~

[Roy]

scotter ~ I'm sorry to have offended you. I said I was off topic, you did not have to read my post, and I feel that eCleaner is very useful for purposes beyond email.

When I wish to print some text that is surrounded by advertising, it's nice to be able to highlight it, press CTRL-C, CTRL-ALT-J, CTRL-V, ALT-C-C, and CTRL-P to get clean, justified text to my printer. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif