By Shavonne Potts
spotts@salisburypost.com
Have you heard the one about gangs targeting people at Wal-Mart as part of an initiation?
This plot sounds sinister, but it is a hoax, police confirm.
Whether you heard it in an e-mail, from a good friend or from a law enforcement officer, Salisbury Police officials say it is simply not true.
The premise of the story is this: a gang member will kill someone at Wal-Mart or another large shopping center. They are targeting children, women and the elderly.
Some stories say the initiation will happen at Target or Kmart.
The hoax goes on that a woman overheard the initiation plans in a bathroom, a 911 communications trainee told their spouse ,who told her sister or a police officer tipped the person off that this crime would take place.
It seems the hoax first surfaced some time in 2005 in the Memphis area. It has since circulated in Texas in 2006, Greensboro in 2008 and Florida in March 2009, according to snopes.com, the Urban Legends Reference Page.
The story has been floating around Salisbury since about mid-March.
The Salisbury Police Department is aware of the story and have received e-mails discussing the intended crime.
“We heard about that about a week or two weeks ago. It is a hoax,” said Chief Deputy Steve Whitley.
But what about the increased patrol vehicles seen at Wal-Mart?
“It is not very likely to be related,” Whitley said.
He said officers go to Wal-Mart for shoplifting calls, fights and domestic disputes. He said any type of response could draw more than one officer.
“It’s not uncommon to see two or three cars handling a ‘hot’ call. We are just as leery of a shoplifter as we are of going on a drug raid,” he said. “We don’t know what to expect from the person.”
Whitley would consider a hot call any call that could escalate into something bigger. Even a person who has a heart attack in a store might bring out more than one officer.
He recommends people use good judgment when going to shopping centers.
Whitley advises customers to park near a light and close to the building.
“Don’t abandon common sense and don’t panic,” he said.
The rumors have obviously caused concern among local residents. The Post has received a number of e-mails inquiring if the story were true.
“I’m sure there are gang initiations going on all the time. My experience is, anytime they’ve done legitimate gang initiation, they don’t publicize it,” he said.
Whitley said the same notion of caution goes to Internet scammers who claim a person has won a large sum of cash, if they only send some money to an account.
The senders usually are from Canada, Europe or Africa. Some e-mails or letters say the recipient has won a sweepstakes or their name was selected among a group.
He said if you did not solicit the mail, then it most likely is a scam.
“Obviously if it causes you concern, call the police or sheriff in your town,” Whitley said.
As much as police remind people to be cautious, the beauty of a scam is that somewhere, someone will bite, he said.
“The best rule of thumb is if it looks like it’s too good to be true then it probably is,” Whitley said.