| Poisoned Perfume Samples - A Terrorist Plot? | |||
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| Netlore Archive: Are terrorists killing U.S. citizens via poisoned perfume samples sent through the mail? | |||
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Email text contributed by Olivia Reese, 12/08/01:
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I feel that it is important to inform you of very important information that I was told.
Seven women have died after smelling a free perfume sample that was mailed to them. The product was poisonous. If you receive free samples in the mail such as lotions, perfumes, diapers etc... throw it away. The government is afraid that this might be another terrorist act. They will not announce it on the news because they do not want to alarm us of any danger. Send this to all your friends and family members. Stay well!!!!! |
Comments: The record shows that since September 11, 2001 U.S. authorities have consistently erred on the side of overstating the possibility of further terrorist attacks, not hiding same. The notion that the government could — let alone would — willfully withhold knowledge of seven confirmed terrorism-related deaths "because they do not want to alarm us" contradicts the established pattern and defies logic. Neither before this warning began circulating in November 2001 nor since have there been reports in the media or elsewhere of terrorist attacks via tainted perfume. The rumor is simply false.
It appears to be a mutation of the "The Knockout Perfume," an urban legend making the email rounds since 1999. In that story, miscreants used ether-tainted perfume to knock out their victims before robbing them; in the above post-September 11 variant the perfume is now supposedly laced with poison and the purpose is to kill innocent U.S. citizens. There are also echoes of the 2001 anthrax mail scare, as well as the earlier "Klingerman Virus" hoax, which falsely warned recipients that deadly substances are being sent through the mail in harmless-looking packages addressed to ordinary citizens.
To reiterate the advice in legitimate government warnings, it is prudent to check "suspicious" mailings for signs of contamination or tampering and contact authorities if any are found. But please take forwarded email warnings like the above with a grain of salt until they have been authenticated or refuted by reliable sources. Rarely do they turn out to be true.
News updates:
U.K. News: Harmful Packages Sent to MPs
BBC News: It's no mere rumor in Britain — a nationwide alert was issued March 1, 2002 after 16 packages containing a caustic chemical disguised as aromatherapy oil were reportedly mailed to the Prime Minister and other politicians by Scottish terrorists.Employee Reprimanded Over 'Poisoned Perfume' Email Hoax
From Click2Houston.com: A Harris County, Texas public employee thought the scary email warning she received was legitimate and worth sharing with others. "If I had to do it over again," she says, "I'd have contacted my supervisor instead of sending it out."
Related articles:
The Knockout Perfume
Email-transmitted urban legend circulating since 1999Return of the 'Deadly Blue Package'
Another familiar Net rumor recast as an urgent warning about terrorist activitiesTerrorism Rumors & Hoaxes
Tall tales in the wake of the September 11 attacks
Current Internet Hoaxes
The Urban Legends Top 25
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