in reply to hj:
this is a hoax "chain letter" email that has been going around for years.
the clue is the "Please forward this to friends and family "
google : hoax Be aware of new car-jacking scheme
and you will find many references.
eg. www.sophos.com/security/hoaxes/rearwindow.html
or www.towncrier.org.uk/business/471.tc
... "We even found a couple of Police forces in the UK who had also obviously been taken in by this fraud. So, if you fell for it too then don't be worried. You are in good company!" ...
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This has done the rounds for a few years now. Seen it on a few other forums.
www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/carjack.asp
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Ah....good idea though....and everybody thinks it's a hoax... and I need a bit of extra cash for Christmas ;-)
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Someone in Cheshire police regularly sends all the really obvious hoaxes out to all the local businesses as gospel fact. You'd think they'd start to get the picture the nth time they send out one with almost identical wording.
Did you know there's a plot to plant a bomb at the Trafford Centre over Christmas? Apparently a friend of a friend of a friend helped out a 'muslim looking' man, and he warned her to stay away as thanks...
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so who is going to phone
Brian Molloy
Detective Constable
Force Intelligence Bureau
Strathclyde Police
0141 532 5867
and tell him that he has been hoaxed? anyone?
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you're assuming that that number isnt someones (now *very* hacked off) ex :)
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you're assuming that that number isnt someones (now *very* hacked off) ex :)
no, but i am assuming that hj has received this direct from strathclyde police and which is why he has published it here. the google search reveals some police areas who had the warning posted on their websites but have since taken down the page.
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a friend had a car stolen while they had her look at the boot lid so hoax or not i think its good public information for anybody, anytime, anywhere,....................martini anyone :-)
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>>You walk across the car park, unlock your car and get inside. Then you
lock all your doors, start the engine
Who locks their doors after getting into the car?
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Who locks their doors after getting into the car?
Nowadays the car does the door locking automatically - well at least mine does ;)
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I find that every hoax mail I get has excessive use of capitals and exclamation marks, and exhorts the recipeint to forward it indiscriminately.
The one posted above fits all these criteria perfectly.
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Just shove that phone number into google and see who and when it's been spreading.
Please DON'T forward to all your friends. If "friends" keeps sending me these things, they are friends no longer.
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Just checked it out on Yahoo its scam ok but why do it?
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Whether it's a hoax or not it's still sound advice to not get out of the car leaving the engine running when you're in a public place.
--
L\'escargot.
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It's sound advice, even though possibly a scam, perhaps with an email virus.
But it won't catch out the people who get in and still fail to notice the snow or frost piled on their windscreens.
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Even if it is a hoax what harm can it do unless loads of people ring the phone number to check. And why would they want to do that anyway? What would they hope to gain?
--
L\'escargot.
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Even if it is a hoax what harm can it do unless loads of people ring the phone number to check. And why would they want to do that anyway? What would they hope to gain?
A sense of smugness that they've managed to trick people. What do the people who write and propogate virus' stand to gain?
These chain letters are basically virus' for people who don't have the technical knowledge to actually write a virus.
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Just checked it out on Yahoo its scam ok but why do it?
I had a look on Google and there were lots of hits including at least one in the USA so its not just us passing on the email.
If ever I get any messages like this one or any warnings about the latest virus then its off to Google to see what the world says. I do not want to clog up other peoples email in box with questionable info.
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Even if it is a hoax what harm can it do unless loads of people ring the phone number to check. And why would they want to do that anyway? What would they hope to gain?
>>
with these hoaxes, the email message itself is designed to be harmless and may even seem to be useful information.
the harm is in
a) creating an undated, not time-limited, chain-mail which forever keeps doing the rounds and wastes time and resources.
b) the main purpose is to allow the collection of genuine email addresses. this happens eventually when a forwarded/forwarded/forwarded/ email with hundreds of addresses finally gets leaked from a compromised computer to a spammers list.
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>> the main purpose is to allow the collection of genuine email addresses. this happens eventually when a forwarded/forwarded/forwarded/ email with hundreds of addresses finally gets leaked from a compromised computer to a spammers list.
>>
Of course it is. It's asking thousands of gullible people to forward their address books so that someone can spam or phish them.
I don't suppose most people want to have their details passed on by well-meaning but unthinking friends, but that is the end result.
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"Who locks their doors after getting into the car?"
I do especially as there is often a laptop in the boot - which is not locked if the car is not locked. I also have the Mondeo to autolock itself when I drive off too.
When we had an office near Manchester airport (a business park on the edge of Wythenshawe!) a common modus-operandi for the local thieves was to watch you put the laptop in the boot and wait for you to get in. Then they'd open the boot, grab the laptop and run off. When I had the Passat with two stage unlocking I would play it extra safe - open car boot put laptop in, lock car, walk to drivers door and only unlock that, get in and lock car, finally drive off. Thieves do not need to be that smart to see someone leave the building of an IT company to know what you just put in the boot.
Another reason why do I lock it is that I have seen people walk down a line of cars stuck in traffic and try the doors etc. If they grab something and run off you cannot go after them and leave your car stuck in the traffic blocking the road.
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Who locks their doors after getting into the car?
I lock mine when I'm in a town/city.
--
L\'escargot.
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Wouldn't work with me, my wheelchair all but obscures the rear window anyway so I have a reversing camera and screen, gives a nice wide angle view too cutting out blindspots.......
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"Wouldn't work with me, my wheelchair all but obscures the rear window anyway so I have a reversing camera and screen, gives a nice wide angle view too cutting out blindspots..."
Aren't you lucky!
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Aren't you lucky!
In some ways yes, but I must admit being able to play footy with my kids (for example) would be very much preferred!
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reminds me of the hoax about gang members driving without lights. If you flashed them, they would chase you and beat you up. I remember a couple of police forces falling for this and sending out warnings.
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reminds me of the hoax about gang members driving without lights. ..
as was covered here previously and when the hoax was pointed out, the thread was locked- see
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=22794&...f
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