HALOWEEN SHOPPING MALL ALERT

Undisclosed | October 10, 2001 | Gargantua

[Gargantua]

SHOPPING MALLS ON HALOWEEN ALERT

(NAME DELETED) ...was dating a guy from Afghanistan up until a month ago. She had a date with him around 9/6 and was stood up. She was understandably upset and went to his home to find it completely emptied.

On 9/10, she received a letter from her Afghani boyfriend explaining that he wished he could tell her why he had left and that he was sorry it had to be like that. The part worth mentioning is that he BEGGED her not to get on any commercial airlines on 9/11 and to not to go any malls on Halloween.

As soon as everything happened on the 11th, she called the FBI and has since turned over the letter.

I may be wrong, and I hope I am. However, with one of his warnings being correct and devastating, I'm not willing to take the chance on the second and wanted to make sure that people I cared about had the same information that I did.

FReepers... please refrain from the pattern of flames and nay-saying justifiably generated in historic response to such unsubstantiated postings as this one.

I post this not because I am sure it is valid, but because if it is valid, we all deserve a chance to hear it now. It comes from a dear friend and colleague whom I trust completely. It won’t hurt anyone if they stay out of shopping malls on Halloween, and this turns out to be incorrect.

However, the converse cannot be said, and hence I post this just for an “FYI.”

FReegards

[Bubba_Leroy]

Warning! I just found out that Afghani gangbangers will be shooting at cars this weekend. I read it in an e-mail from a friend, whose former girlfriend's sister was warned by her best friend to stay off the road!

[Alberta's Child]

In a related story, a different woman with a different Middle Eastern boyfriend was told not to go to any shopping malls in December.

Please listen to this advice, Freepers, if you value your lives. I want to make sure there are no lines at my favorite stores when I do my Christmas shopping.

/sarcasm off/

[Silly]

Can't you at least tell us something about the person who told you this, so we can tell whether it's totally bunk or just plain bunk? I mean, what is the point? What possible value can there be in strangers passing each other unsourced baloney via the Internet? "Just in case"? Give me a break. A million monkeys typing on a million typewriters just may have produced this; but smart monkeys know when NOT to hit the "post" button.

By the way, key words "Halloween," "shopping mall" and "girlfriend" have URBAN LEGEND written all over them.

If you REALLY DID hear this from a "dear friend" I would advise you to notify the FBI.

[NorCoGOP]

Sorry, you've been had! go here for detailed information on this INTERNET HOAX.

[randog]

LOL!

I live in Nevada and Halloween is Nevada Day (Admission Day)--does this mean I should get out of the state for the day? ;>)

[putupon]

I heard the the same thing in an email, but mine also said something about not letting the kids trick or treat @ people of middle eastern descents' houses.

[Gargantua]

Next thing I expect to hear is that 'Afghani gangbangers will be travelling the highways shooting at cars with American flags on their radio antennae this weekend'.

That's not funny.

State just issued a warning about this. At least, that's what I heard... ;-)

[wienerdog.com]

Did the letter say anything about 7-11s? I ask because I have seen a number of mideastern looking men at many 7-11s. They may be casing the place from the inside.

Et tu, Apu?

[Hatteras]

My version received:

To: prete_michael@jpmorgan.com

> >cc:
> >Subject: Fwd: Malls on 10/31

> > >FYI...

> >
> > > Hi All -
> > >
I think you all know that I don't send out hoaxes and don't do the reactionary thing and send out anything that crosses my path. Thi[> (sic) one, however, is a friend of a friend and I've given it enough credibility in my mind that I'm writing it up and sending it out to all of you.

My friend's friend was dating a guy from Afghanistan up until a month ago. She had a date with him around 9/6 and was stood up. She was understandably upset and went to his home to find it completely emptied.

On 9/10, she received a letter from her boyfriend explaining that he wished he could tell her why he had left and that he was sorry it had to be like that.

The part worth mentioning is that he BEGGED her not to get on any commercial airlines on 9/11 and to not to go any malls on Halloween.

As soon as everything happened on the 11th, she called the FBI and has since turned over the letter.

This is not an email that I've received and decided to pass on. This came from a phone conversation with a long-time friend of mine last night.

I may be wrong, and I hope I am. However, with one of his warnings being correct and devastating, I'm not willing to take the chance on the second and wanted to make sure that people I cared about had the same information that I did.

Laura Katsis
Implementation Specialist
714/921-5424
lkatsis@volt.com
OpsVolt_Track@volt.com

I wouldn't normally include the private info, but this time I did because I wanted to give the opportunity to Freepers to track down the source and see if it matches up with other e-mails you will undoubtedly get in the next few days. Perhaps this "Laura Katsis" name will show up again.

[Bartholomew Roberts]

I don't believe that any of the 19 hijackers were Afghans nor are there any reports of true Afghanis being pursued in the US for this crap. It's all Yemenis or Algerians or Egyptians and the like. But thanks.

[Uncle Fud]

This report is true. There is also a little boy injured in the WTC collapse who is trying to get in the Guinness book for the biggest volume of get well cards. Also, did you know the government is going to fund the airline bailout by putting a tax on e-mails? And, for the next year, Neiman Marcus is donating all the reciepts from sales of its chocolate chip cookies to the NYPD/FD relief fund.

You heard it here first.

[dead]

I did that one a few days ago. It took me about an hour, mostly spent finding suitable pictures. What can I say? I was bored.

[nina0113]

We've gotten at least 3 versions of this in our office today.

[Junior]

This is structured so much like an urban legend, it isn't even funny. Unfortunately, the Urban Legend web page seems to be down at the moment...

[AppyPappy]

but because IF it is valid

IF grasshoppers had machine guns, the birds wouldn't mess with them.

The proper thing to do is to verify the data BEFORE you post it. That means you contact the person who sent it and ask if they are forwarding the info or if they have first-hand knowledge. That saves you from what you are getting now.

[Lorraine]

I also just received this from a friend of mine at work. We will probably all end of getting it a million times.

[kassie]

Is this the making of a new "urban legend"?

[kaboom]

Could it be that someone was ordered to do something at "The Mall" in DC or The "Mall of America", and they just misunderstood?

Foil on.

[LJLucido]

I've been begging my wife to never, ever go to any mall. Will it help if I get someone from Afghanistan to tell her?