Hoax email condemned
STORY: Connie Williamson
A distraught franchise owner is up in arms after a hoax email linking his business to an attempted child kidnapping, was sent to thousands of recipients via email. Maxis Richards Bay owner, François Palm, said the email implies that a child was nearly kidnapped at his business. ‘This is a family restaurant and we encourage parents to keep a close watch on their children at all times. ‘It is sad that this email was sent to thousands of individuals and clearly places our business in a negative light. ‘Our customers are now questioning this incident which did not even occur,’ he said. Richards Bay CPF Chairman, Dave Savides, said it is extremely irresponsible to send disturbing emails without first verifying the truthfulness of the story. ‘Besides the fact that, as in this case, the information could even be libelous and cause great harm to an innocent business, people become scared of doing something as routine as visiting a shopping mall. ‘Invariably, these urban legends get added to as they circulate and usually they lack basic information such as the date it happened and the names of those involved. ‘This one, for example, also infers that kidnapping is almost an everyday occurrence. In reality, it is extremely rare. ‘No attempted kidnapping charge was opened at our local police station. ‘Think twice before you circulate such emails - you could cause your best friends to have panic and anxiety attacks.’ Savides said many of the emails in circulation could be tested by going to websites such as www.snopes.com www.truthorfiction.com or www.breakthechain.com.
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