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View Full Version : Legitimate Warning; Urban Legend or Outright Hoax ?



Jolie Rouge
11-12-2003, 01:30 PM
What do you think :

recieved this in am email from several different people this week ....




Don't know if this is true but worth keeping in mind!!

THIS IS SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT AND REMEMBER!

This is kind of scary

Subject: Warning

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 a 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 the 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. 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. 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.,
PLEASE BE SAFE AND NOT SORRY! JUST A WARNING TO ALWAYS BE ALERT AND USE YOUR HEAD!!!

suziebee20
11-12-2003, 01:39 PM
Sounds like an old legend. Snopes has a variation of it that's a lot shorter:

[Collected on the Internet, 1998]

A woman was shopping at the Tuttle Mall in Columbus. She came out to her car and saw she had a flat. She got her jack, spare out of the trunk. A man in a business suit came up and started to help her. When the tire had been replaced, he asked for a ride to his car on the opposite side of the Mall. Feeling uncomfortable about doing this, she stalled for awhile, but he kept pressing her. She finally asked why he was on this side of the Mall if his car was on the other.

He claimed he had been talking to friends. Still uncomfortable, she told him that she had just remembered something she had forgotten to pick up at the mall and she left him and went back inside the mall. She reported the incident to the mall security and they went out to her car. The man was nowhere in sight. Opening her trunk, she discovered a brief case the man had set inside her trunk while helping her with the tire. Inside was rope and a butcher knife! When she took the tire to be fixed, the mechanic informed her that there was nothing wrong with her tire, that it was flat because the air had been let out of it!

GeThang
11-12-2003, 02:58 PM
Man, I wonder if when people start urban legends like that, if that gives anybody ideas. Freaky, but although a legend, it could happen. Makes for an interesting story though.

janelle
11-12-2003, 03:04 PM
Urban legend or not it's a good idea to remind women not to be too trusting. This gives us some ideas on how to handle such a situation. Rape is going up in our city even on men so we need to be reminded how fast things can happen.

One woman always carries mace when she is out alone and has to go to her car at night.

lpelham
11-12-2003, 03:04 PM
I think it is an urban legend, but better safe than sorry. I will never forget, about 20 years ago when I was young (20), I went to our local library. It was not in a bad neighborhood, but not exactly good. The parking lot was on the side and I usually wouldn't stop unless I could park in the top of the lot where people could see me.

One night, I decided to park in the back. It was dark, so when I left, I hurried out. Right as I got my hand on the handle of the door, this man walked up with his arm in a sling. He wanted to know if I had jumper cables. It was dark, there was NO one else around and I freaked out. I opened the door, told him I didn't have jumper cables (even though I did) and left. I think back now and wonder if I just was paranoid or if it was really something suspicious. You just never know I guess.

Libby