New Warning

I wish I knew the name of the show, but a local sheriff here has a show that talks about all sorts of tricks and traps. I would be surprised if a thing such as what you spoke about were never done. I still remember whole cities were I could go for miles and miles. The ONLY thing I had to watch out for was the odd brat wannabe gangster trying to scare younger kids into giving them money, etc... Even THAT was not as common or heinous as now. NOW, there are places where people don't want to go outside because they may be attacked.

Steve

Yep - when we least expect it - when we 'let our guard down', that is when the pond scum has a chance to get over on us.

There is another one like this about a gas station - how they crawl in your back seat while you are paying or not looking...

I like stuff like this because it reminds us to be more careful.

I read that people who are the most likely to get assaulted/robbed are those not paying attention - the example = walking around a shopping mall and in that crazed shopper's daze looky looky you get tooky.

Be aware of your surroundings and check all sides front, beside and behind.

Like I say - the worst horror shows in the world are the nightly news.

Reality Bites!

This is a hoax.

snopes.com: Flyers on Car Windows Carjacking

Steve, Snopes is the "go to" source for checking out hoaxes. They're pretty good at ferreting out the truth and have a good reputation. No one is saying it couldn't happen. In order for a hoax to catch on it has to be plausible. But, it's not something that's rampant. Whoever made that up did so with the intent to scare people. People needn't fear that anymore than any other slim chance of getting hurt.

I don't have time for silly things like looking behind me.

I wasn't sure if it was a hoax or not - and said so. I just thought it should be posted because people are starting to get desperate and crime is going to, if it hasn't already started to, get more prevalent. There will be all sorts of things going on that might be something you wouldn't think about usually - but need to start. I used to live in a town that had one of the country's highest, if not THE highest, rate of women being abducted out of the Mall parking lot. I was also accosted in a parking garage a level under ground floor. You really have to be careful in parking lots any time. Whether snopes thinks so or not - parking lots are crime havens and a lot of people are out shopping now. Just be careful people.

Thanks for the heads up. I keep the loaded glock in the glove box, so if they try me, I'm gonna pump them with so much lead that you could use them for a pencil.

The sad thing is that even if this was originally a hoax it will give some people ideas. I suspect some "urban legends" have some truth to them. For example, it seems like a fairly obvious precaution to make sure someone isn't hiding in the backseat of your vehicle -yet this is listed in many places as an urban legend. I don't have any references offhand, but you can't tell me that a mugger, rapist, carjacker etc. has never done this.

Killer in the backseat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Like flashing your lights at a car with out its lights on at night is a gang initiation--we were told to drive home in groups from school when that one came out.

People can be really stupid sometimes, but the paper on the back window doesn't sound like it is that far fetched.

I agree hoax or not the lesson is there and should be heeded.

I was mugged in broad daylight on probably the most high traffic street in SF - and the cops said it was because I gave the person an 'opening' by stopping to talk when they asked me directions.

So if you don't want to feel like a snob - just keep walking and answer 'in passing' over your shoulder. Or pretend you don't speak English - go "Oi?" and keep walking...

Point is keep moving, don't stop.

I remember the one about when you turn on your lights to tell someone they have no lights on - (in the hoax, that means to a gang, you want to rumble so they shoot you) --

That really got me because that is something I do automatically - without thinking - hit my brights for a second 2 or 3 times whenever I see a stupid car with no lights. It was weird the other night at dusk on a rainy day - it was pitch black and just in about 10 blocks I had to flash my lights 3 times for idiots driving with their lights off. Nobody killed me.

I have a big wrench between my two front seats - it is wicked and I figure it can be used either to break the windows if I am submerged or break somebody's face if they get in mine.

p.s. I think one of the most chilling experiences I have had however is when the car dealership showed me how there is a little latch inside the trunk so you can get out if some kidnapper locks you in your trunk. WHAAAAT????

I guess the problem has to be somewhat RAMPANT for a car manufacturer to add a feature just for kidnap victims. (GM)

Since then I visualize me as a female Clint Eastwood. Somebody puts their arm in the car and they have a gun and they tell me to let them in.

With one hand on the wheel, in one split second, I shut the window on his hand and then punch it - the super charger kicks in and the guy either gets dragged beside the car (and if they shoot me we will crash) or worse - but I will tell you in this scene I will LAY RUBBER.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!

Gotta agree with Kurt on this one. We all need to defend ourselves - but too much defense is just going to push the "gun control" crowd over the edge and then we are screwed to a wall. Just spread things like the email around so people will watch out for themselves and if something odd is noticeable, the crooks won't get any satisfaction. As far as parking lots - your best defense is to park away from other cars as much as possible and just keep an eye out for people hiding or walking close to you. I never walk in a parking lot alone without something in my hand I can use as a weapon if I need to.

Remember that you have to defend yourself against law, too - so if you shoot haphazardly without actually being in enough risk to warrant it, you could end up behind bars yourself. That's not saying that you shouldn't defend yourself when necessary - just that you might not wanna use deadly force against someone if you don't absolutely have to.