Warning new theft scam

BLACKHURSTM

I was sent this email today
It was about 3 weeks ago, I was at the Shell station in London getting
diesel. It was about 11:30 pm. 2 men and 2 women in a car approached me.

The man that was driving asked me 'What kind of perfume do you wear?' I was
a bit confused and I asked him 'Why?' He said 'We are selling some name
brand perfumes, at cheap prices.' I said I had no money. He then reached
out of the car and handed me paper that was laminated; it had many perfumes
on it. I looked quickly at it and gave it back. I said again 'I have no
money'. He said 'It is OK, we take cheque, cash or credit cards'. Then the
people in the car began to laugh. I just got in my car and said no thanks.

Then I received this e-mail yesterday and it sent chills up my spine.
Please read this.

I recieved this today and thought it important to pass on.

Be careful. I was approached yesterday afternoon around 3:30 pm in the
Tesco car park when two males asked what kind of perfume I was wearing.

Then they asked if I'd like to sample some fabulous scent they were willing
to sell me at a very reasonable rate. I probably would have agreed had I
not received an e-mail some weeks ago warning of a 'Wanna smell this neat
perfume?' scam.

THIS IS NOT PERFUME...IT IS ETHER! When you sniff it, you'll pass out.
They'll take your wallet, your valuables and heaven knows what else. If it
were not for this e-mail, I probably would have sniffed the 'perfume' but
thanks to the generosity of an e-mailing friend, I was spared whatever
might have happened to me. I wanted to do the same for you.

PLEASE PASS THIS TO ALL YOUR WOMEN FRIENDS AND PLEASE BE ALERT AND BE
AWARE. IF YOU ARE A MAN AND RECEIVE THIS, PASS IT ON TO YOUR WOMEN FRIENDS.

Ladies this happened to me again yesterday and I didn't smell the perfume
either, thanks to this email. This is true. Believe me, I know. I was over
by the car park at lunchtime when I was approached. So either day or night,
it does not matter. There were 3 guys together when I was approached. I
called the police when I got back to my home.

Like the email says above, LET EVERYONE KNOW ABOUT THIS. YOUR FRIENDS,
FAMILY, CO-WORKERS, whoever. It helped me

DarkHorse

Sorry, but this is complete rubbish....one sniff of Ether will not render you unconscious.

This is one for the Urban Myths file.

lipidicman

To the OP - are you saying any part of your post happened to YOU? It is unclear and looks like two emails - a 'send-it-on' email

I can second that Ether wont render you unconcious from a little sniff from experience (I did a chemistry degree) Seriously - dont try this yourself, its probably a little dangerous!

Anyway look at
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/weekly/aa112499.htm

To sum up: what we have is an overblown email warning sure to throw a fright into lots of people, based on a single reported incident in Mobile, Alabama which may or may not prove to be true. It's worth considering, before forwarding a message like this to everyone you know, whether you might be doing more harm than good.

mrcow

It's on snopes too - a twist on a classic wind-up

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/perfume.asp

soolin

Snopes is your friend for any of these urban myths. However one word of warning, don't go to the snopes site unless you have time to spare, I always spend ages on there reading up on all these weird urban myths and time just flies by.

SOo

trace-j

There was another urban legend sent around by email last year relating to gang initiations. Basically they the person under test was to drive around at night with no lights on. The first person to flash or sound the horn at the them would be the victim and shot. The warning was not to flash at drivers at night!

I think the moral of the original tale (as this one was altered) was something to do with, it doesn't always pay to be the good samaritan.

lipidicman

trace-j wrote:

There was another urban legend sent around by email last year relating to gang initiations. Basically they the person under test was to drive around at night with no lights on. The first person to flash or sound the horn at the them would be the victim and shot. The warning was not to flash at drivers at night!.....

This was in some terrible teen movie I saw once - they all blend into one in my memory.....so bad....

PeteMc

Sounds like the man at the shopping centre carrying some rope and an axe :rotfl:

calleyw

Watch the film urban legends they do the thing with the Coke and popping dust and all the really corny ones. Like when filling up with petrol someone sneaks in the back of the car.

Etc, Etc.

I did not pay for the tickets as they where a freebie. As otherwise I would have never gone to see it.

I wish people would just google to check things like this before passing it on. The same goes for viruses as well.

Some people will never learn.


Yours

Calley

Bendybops19

I was sent that email about the ether and petrol stations about a month ago, seems like its been every where. I also heard about the cars & flashing your lights etc, was told it was happening in london which is pretty close so it scared me a it!

aminchom

Can I just clear this up. This is the second time the "smell this perfume - one wiff and your out" myth has come up. I am anaesthetist and I can assure you this substance does not exist (or we'd have it). Ether takes several breaths at quite high concentrations to put you under and nothing I have at work anaesthetises in fewer than 4-5 breaths, and then only lasts a couple ofminutes if you stop breathing it. What I am interested by is why these myths keep appearing as warnings - no one posting can have had it happen to them (as it cannot happen). As to dodgy perfume sellers in carparks - now that I believe.