[ Golden Gater Online - November 13, 1997 ]
Gaurav Misra
The Stanford Daily (Stanford U.)
STANFORD, Calif. -- According to the Palo Alto Police Department, an e-mail message circulated this weekend at Stanford University warning of gang-related abductions, is a hoax.
The message states that a gang of Mexican youths from East Palo Alto was sneaking into women's cars at gas stations and then forcing them to drive to remote locations. The purported initiation rite required gang members to rape their victims and "take a souvenir."
Women were warned not to leave their cars unlocked when they went to pay for their gas, since that is when the attackers supposedly snuck into the cars.
The message identified three target gas stations: the Palo Alto Shell at Lytton Avenue and Alma, the Menlo Park Unocal 76 on El Camino Real and an unnamed station in Menlo Park.
The Palo Alto police said in a statement that they have no information regarding such initiation rites. Also, there have been no reports of crimes resembling the supposed incidents.
Once the message was released, dozens of inquiries began arriving at the Palo Alto and Stanford police departments. According to Stanford Police Capt. Raoul Niemeyer, the Stanford police have looked into this matter "to the best of their ability, and [we] are satisfied that this is a non-event."
The Palo Alto police were the supposed originators of the warning, but they issued no such alert. When they began to receive complaints, they contacted "intelligence people" in East Palo Alto and the Sheriff's Office, before concluding that the message was a hoax.
The Palo Alto police said that they are trying to identify the source of the hoax, but detective Jim Coffman of the Palo Alto police said he has spent most of his time debunking the e-mail.
The hoax caught many people off guard because of its unusual nature.
"It's unlike other hoaxes; it's a local hoax. It's not the same as a chain mail which asks you to forward it. This is something you would only forward to people who might be affected," said Bill Bauriedel, a former security official for Information Technology Systems and Services.
"It's a first for me," said Coffman. "I've heard of these hoaxes before," he added, noting that last year there was an e-mail that suggested turning on your high beams on some roads could be taken as a gang sign.
As for the perpetrators of the hoax, it is unknown if any legal action can be taken against them. "I don't even know if this is a crime. There just don't seem to be any laws against it," Niemeyer said.
According to Bauriedel, there is no penalty for students who forwarded the message. The message appeared completely legitimate, and it was in the best interests of many students to pass the information on.
Despite the fact that the message was a hoax, "it is still a sound message about safety," Niemeyer said. People are advised not to leave their cars unlocked when stopping at gas stations or supermarkets, even if they are only going to be gone for a few moments.
[ Golden Gater - November 13, 1997 ]