A completely false rumour about a child being abducted in an Asda supermarket has been spreading like wildfire on the internet and by text message in the past couple of days.
It’s a hoax story that appears regularly in a variety of guises, both in the UK and in the US. The story is usually that a little girl is abducted from her family while they are shopping, then taken to the toilets, where her head is shaved so she can be smuggled out as a boy.
This urban myth has circulated for more than 10 years and sometimes rears its head. It’s as untrue today as it’s ever been.
It’s clear from the number of calls we’ve received in the last 24 hours that it’s doing the rounds again.
Here’s the latest version some people have received as a text message or email:
“Dear All. This is a very serious message that I hope you can pass on to as many people as you can. Last night at the big Asda in Manchester a 3 year old girl went missing. Fortunately their policy when something like this happens is to lock the doors. The little girl was found in the toilets with 2 Romanian women. One shaving her head and the other dressing her in boys clothes. This come from an employee who was there last night. Please pass the message round to as many as you can and remain extra vigilant with your own children.”
So if you receive the message don’t worry about it – have a Google around and you’ll see plenty of examples of the same story in many different guises and different places.
Posted by Mark on 13 November 2009, 11:20Posted in:
95 Comments for "Don't be taken in by this urban myth about a child abduction"
i received this exact txt about a month ago, and until today when i found this i genuinely believed it was true, i mean if someone sends you a message like that why should you not believe it. as a mother myself it immediately makes you sympathize with the mother of the child i did forward it to all my friends who have children as i thought it was important for people to know. i do feel silly for sending them now but how was i ment to know???? even with these false texts an emails there are real abductions still going on all the time, i know of 3 separate incidents of a man trying to abduct young girls in liverpool in the last month (not in asda or any shops btw) and these are not rumors and are being delt with by merseyside police the latest was a 10year old girl last week who was on her way home from dance class in kensington. so although it might be a hoax every one should still remain vigilant while out and about with children as you should be all the time anyway
I was told this story aswell at work,i was shocked to hear it,and iv told my friends and family now i fell silly as its not true,this is a pritty sick joke,
Im not being funny but urban legends cannot be racist because they are not real they are chinese whispers from countries over the world. Asda did not make up this rumour so If you have laid in to them grow up, stop thinking about yourselves, and think about the kids, if the issue has disturbed many parents then its because maybe you are worried that you do not watch your kids 24/7 like you should, you only feel angry and defensive when you are wrong, and as someone said in above comments, think of kids like Maddie, that was real and if parents havent taken precautions since then, then I think its a sad world if its a urban legend thats made you do it, shame on you all!
Do people believe every single bit of racist nonsense that they get sent on their phones? Good Lord.
It’s always middle aged women peddling this obviously made-up horse-nonsense too, sending it to “everyone in their phonebook/email list” just because the text/mail says too
Hi all parents out there, I was born in Romania and lived there for 25 years and I’ve never heard or such cases back there, this notice here makes us as being horrible people and I find it racist. Ever since I came here I worked from day one as I did back in my country.The word “foreign” should have been used. ASDA you’re a shame tho this country and if anything this could be true and ASDA are just protecting their publicity. Also I’m a mum to a 2 year old girl and she’s the apple of my eye and my everything. In a way I’m glad that this rumor goes around as it will make parents more aware. Personally I don’t leave the sight of my daughter at all, while out and about, not even for a second and I think most parents do that.
Thanks, Ana.
My friend rang me today to say: Her aunty was in our Wolstanton Asda Store one day last week and there was an announcement that 2 children had been abducted, the shutters were put down + no-one was allowed to enter or leave the store. The children were found in the toilets with 2 dressed in Burka’s who were shaving the childrens hair off! My friend said it was wierd because there has been nothing in The Sentinel (local newspaper) about it, but i said it could be because of publicity at Asda etc. Anyway i thought I would have a look to see if I could see anything about it on the internet and found this and now I am totally shocked that this is a rumour + also feeling a little bit silly as I have told most of my family members, I will be telling my friend who told me to tell her aunty to get a life!! I have been sickened by it all day, its disgusting!!!!!
i know this woz a story but it def makes you think and makes you more aware coz you do ge abit lapse,its def scared my 7 year old daughter who always runs off,i think the more she is scared the safer she will be,and like lots of people have said anyone that is a parent whether you like it or not it does happen they do run off and kids are took and there would not be anything worse then having your child took from you.def a eye opener and makes you more aware.
somebody told me about this comment and it did frighten me and has made me more vigilent of my own three little children aged between 1 and 4. Although not true making me aware i feel is a good thing as you sometimes let you side down and anything could happen just look at Maddie. Not good to make up but i make sure my kids are always by my side as there are some weirdos out there!!
I have to thank whoever made this up. I told my 4 and 7 year olds about it and they don’t run off anymore in the shops. Then again, my kids are black, do romanians kidnap black children? Please take it easy on the racist issue. [...]
Yes i was one of those people that received a txt last night about our tunstall branch asda… i have to say it comforted me to think that asda did shut there doors even though i have read since then that they dont.. I didint take the context as being racist in any way rather than a concerned txt from one parent to another.. which i sent to as many parents myself….NOW feeling very FOOLISH that i could be taken in ….However as much as we take care of our children it is very easy whist shoppins and multi tasking to take your eye of the ball. This txt however cruel and awful has given me pause for thought of the dangers out there. We all believe it wont happen to us…Lets hope it doesnt
Why would the BNP have anything to do with this??? use some common sense before opening your trap and further inciting race hatred.
As for the abduction do you not think it would be allover the papers if something like this had really happened? some people are so gullible – and who would let a 3 year old out of their sight? should be securely in the trolley seat!
I received this unbelievably cruel text message but it was ASDA Stockton. I live close to this ASDA and was terribly alarmed. I have now heard that it is a scare tactic from the BNP. i dont know what to believe but i wish that people would be more considerate especially when children go missing all the time and as a parent myself i am already extremley worried about the safety of my son without untrue rumours spreading making it worse and sending everyone into a panic. its pathetic and down right irresponsible
i recieved the txt this evening while at worked saying a 3 year old girl had been abducted for Tunstall Asda, worried and forwarded it onto most of my friends. Luckly one of my well known friends googled it and txt back saying it was an urban myth. I can’t believe people waste time making things up like this. I have two children and never take my eyes off them but still worry all the time. Their are alot of horrible people out their and one day this may well happen!
“Asda’s policy to lock all doors” – This is false imprisonment – an offence against common law punishable with up to life imprisonment. The hoax is not harmless, it may bring to the attention of some parents, that they must keep a better eye on their kids, but it dangerously taints your view of Romanians. But its too late now..the damage is done, and we will all have a mental link between Romainians and child abductions, that is purely fantasy. Please..Please when anyone receives stuff like this, check it out first on the web..just do a google search for “urban myth asda romainian” and we could have stopped these lies before the damage is done.
Unfortunately, I have sent this on to everyone I know and then some. No I didn’t check it out first, mainly because it is past midnight, Monday morning is looming fast and I’m really tired. I just knew I wouldn’t get any sleep until I had done something. I did however, look on the Beckton ASDA (where my ‘abduction’ took place apparently and could find absolutely nothing regarding this sort of hoax. No warning or notice to made aware that things like this do happen. Why not? the front page of any ASDA website seems to have plenty of room to advertise latest offers etc. Just a note to say that yes, sadly and sickeningly, these hoax’s do happen and that if it were true, you’d have it posted EVERYWHERE. Please don’t be a cog in the wheel of racism, it’s not funny. My poor husband is one of only two members of his entire paternal family that exist due to the Holocaust and the saddest sight I’ve ever seen is one of a pile of tiny childrens shoes outside of a gas chamber, that was the last place they took their owners to, never to be worn again. PLEASE help us, the ordinary public, on these dire cons. Could not a checking site for all scams be set up by the police, at least we’d have one place to check before the forward message button gets hit.
outrageous that some people feel the need to have a go at the innocent people who were taken in by this, like mentioned, plenty of children do get abducted and many NEVER FOUND!! Some people really need to think before being so ignorant, this time a hoax, but next time maybe not!!
I heard this story yesterday – but in the version I heard it was two Iranian Men! Talk about stirring up race hatred!
Honestly, people will believe any cock and bull story. Yeah these things happen, but if people were looking after their kids like they should do anyway then these things wouldnt happen and stories like this wouldnt be thrown around the internet.
hi. Yes. yes, everybody’s right, it is quite a sick story to come up with, but its just a story, no one was hurt during the making of that story! so there’s only positive’s to come from this story being told. because i know for sure that next time i go into any big supermarket with my 2 girls, i DEFINATELY WILL NOT take my eyes off them for a second, just cos i heard that story. win-win.
I found this messages on facebook and i havent been in asda since,, im only 14 And it scared the life out of me but now i know it ent true im going to asda tomoz with my mum to go christmas shopping :)
OK, i understand some people getting upset over this but surley is it such a bad thing if it at least makes some people think twice about the attention they pay to their children?? Look at Madeline McCann, she isnt an urban myth, this sort of thing really does, and can happen
Ive just recieved this message im disgusted that people are that sick to make up such rubbish,to have your child abducted must be awful.children are precious and as a parent i find this upsetting.
I heard this yesterday from a neighbour, only it was about the Walmart in Eastlands, Manchester. We have had quite a large influx of romanians into our area recently so the story sounded “feasible”. On checking it out though I found this. I’ve just updated my neighbour ;-). It occured to me that stories like this spread so quickly because on some level people want to think it’s true, I don’t mean anybody would want any harm to come to a child, rather that it plays on peoples fears and prejudices of whichever group is being accused and validates them. Says a lot about the human psyche that people are ready to believe the worst about each other, and to spread that rather than find out if it’s true. My motto on this is “believe nothing, question everything” and use your judgement. Shame that people couldn’t put as much energy into checking the facts as they do into propogating the myths. .......Have you heard the one about the two asian guys waylaying women in supermarket carparks with perfume samples, don’t get too close girls cos they’ll spray you with a tranquiliser and bundle you into the back of a van…..that one was doing the rounds a few months ago…;-)
I had this text to me just yesterday, concerned i forwarded to most of my friends unsure whether it was true. Its been on my mind since yesterday and really concerned me but wasn’t sure if it was true. In a way im so glad its not true, its terrible and such a scary thing. I’m not a parent myself but i have worked with children for over 4 years. Keep them close to you, in the trolley or on rains. Tell you child that if he/she gets lost go to customer services and stay there. Parents and other people need to keep an eye out for kids just wondering around! Surely if the story was true, wouldn’t the little girl be crying in the loo’s, shouting for her parents maybe? And the public loo’s are used all the time, im sure someone would have noticed something not quite right!
i did the same then googled it and found a news paper article from huddesfeild had people telling me i was sick for letting them no it was a hoax so googled it again for the link i found to show im not sick and found this one today thank god i found it cause i no that they would have said ooohhh that from huddersfield etc as the txt’s we all got said it was fosse park asda still getting abuse for it though i have a daughter myself why the hell would i do anything like that i think they are the sick ones for not reading this article when i’ve sent them the link and still givin me abuse xxxx
This myth has been going longer than 10 years – the same story was told about an incident at the Metro centre about 20 years ago. See this site: - http://urbanlegendsonline.com/child_disguisedchild.html for this and other urban legends.
I have just recived this text and was so upset by it i instantly forwarded it on to family and friends, fortunatley i was informed by a friend that this was a hoax and told about this page. I am horrified that someone has thought this up and cant understand why they would do it. Like many other people on here i hadn’t even realised the racial implications, just a trumatized child and her family. My text mentioned the fosse park asda but all other wording was as above.
One of my friends on Facebook just posted this message on her status update about Leicester Fosse Park Asda. Thanks to googling and finding this page, I told her it was a hoax and have put a note on my profile warning everyone not to be taken in by this.
Why is no-one particularly bothered by the overtly racist nature of this hoax? Not many people seem to have got past ‘as a parent, this got me worried!’ And anyone who forwards these things on just makes things worse. Check out whether it’s a hoax or not before mindlessly fanning the flames.
This is a really old Urban Myth…check out the Snopes website for more urban myth debunking….....there is no LSD lick and stick tattoos either! Its all just an attempt to panic you….
Mark from Sunderland is right. This did absolutely nothing to help anyone; it’s anti-immigration fear-mongering. Just what I like to hear as a Canadian living in England.
If you need false stories to prompt you to talk to your children about strangers then you’ve not done your job.
Now all of you who frightened your children with stories of scary, head-shaving foreigners will have them growing up thinking Romanians and who knows who else from outside of the UK are dangerous. You can correct this by refusing to feed into this ignorance in the future and ensuring that your children understand the truth.
i felt sick when i saw this on my friends facebook status last night. maybe i was being gullable but i fell for it, and it scared the hell out of me. and even now, i have that same feeling, even when i now know that it’s just a hoax. it’s sick. i have 2 children myself. and for someone to LIE about something so horrific….. it makes me feel physically sick. i’m really furious, actually.
CALM DOWN EVERYONE!!!!! Disturbed, couldn’t sleep – oh my god, slight over reactions. And Mark from Sunderland, child abductions happen ALL the time around the world, we just don’t hear about them. I reckon you all smoke wacci bacci if you reacted that badly to this story, true or not.
I sent this text to all my friends and colleagues as I recieved the text from a very long and trusted friend and she did like wise. I sent it round because I have newphews and nieces and friends with kids and was shocked. I am not sure what the originator intended! I didn’t realise it was a hoax till my friends at work told me, but not much suprises me these days, better to be vigalent then sorry!
@Sarah from Morden Park You too huh….Look, the point is not “at least we’ve been reminded to be on guard around our kids”, it’s “at least we’ve been reminded not to trust foreigners”. If you think that’s a valid message then I can see why you would think this malicious rumour has “done its job”.
Can I make a serious plea to anyone reading this who has already circulated this hoax to re-contact anyone you sent it to and tell them it was a hoax. If you’re annoyed/ disgusted/ whatever by this, then help to stop it by letting everyone know it’s a lie!!!
@Jac from Norfolk
You seem to have missed the point. There’s no point in your being more vigilant about supermarket toilets because there was no incident. So what is it you think the hoax is ‘raising awareness’ about? How to be more careful in places from which there is no evidence of children being abducted?! Let me help you. The only point of this is to stir up anti-immigrant sentiments by spreading rumours that give the impression that ‘they’ are a threat to ‘our’ children. Unfortunately, as your post demonstrates, this can do the damage that it is intended to do even when people know the rumour is untrue.
Just got told this story by a relative on the phone, I was horrified. So relieved to read this, thought it was odd that it had not been on the news so I googled it to find out more.
These kind of tales spread like wildfire too. It takes a special kind of sicko to think up a story like this.
I recieved this and was so disturbed by it that I forwarded it to as many people as I possibly could. To then find it is a total hoax is disgusting…. the sick minded idiots who invented this need to seek professional help immediately. Thank you to ASDA for making everyone aware of this hoax !
Hoax or not – don’t be mad guys! Am mother to 2 girls (1 & 3 yrs). Always good to remind parents to be on their guard!!! If it saves one child from being abducted, then it’s done its job eh.
I heard about this last week similar to another story i heard a while ago. The story was that a little girl had gone missing in the store and the staff were informed by the her parent/s. The building was locked and searched where the girl was found in the toilets with 2 romanian woman who were shaving her hair off in preperation for dressing her as a boy. If this is a myth i believe it has made parents more aware of where their children are at all times while out shopping. While in discussion about it with colleagues we praised Asda for putting the building on lock down while the child was missing. The building being shut down, i feel is a must and should be policy for all outlets.
I was sent this late lastnight; and was horrified by its content! I passed it to my friends with small children, only to be told it was a hoax. I even asked the person who sent it me if it was real, and how did they know. They assured me they had been told by someone who works at the Asda store in question (even more bizarre!). It made me shudder to think of something like this and although its nothing more than warped scaremongering; it does (as others have mentioned) make you re-evaluate your childs safety when out in public. One thing is for sure my own three year old girl will be on a tighter leash than normal!!
When I read this text this morning I was highly disturbed as I use this place frequently to shop and was envisaging all sorts. Wish ppl wud not spread false stuff like this when it truly disturbes us parents.
SICK !!! Several people i know have been taken in by this including myself … ... I wonder if this awful person has any children ? if so then maybe S/S should pay them a visit ! Lets hope they get caught out + stopped . I also feel that Asda’ staff ‘should be told off for helping to spread this hoax !
I received this exact message last night. I was so upset by it as it said ‘Thurmaston’ which is where I had been on Fri & Sat with my 2 year old daughter. I didnt sleep last night thinking about the child and her family and the effect this will have on our local community. I have just got to a computer and Googled it straight way to find it’s a hoax. What a load of sickos…. Asda – Thank you for for making your customers aware of this sick hoax and for allowing comments to be made. What looser would make up a story like this.
I got a phone calll from my sister telling me to alert my friends so I thought the easiest way would be to find the news article and attach it to an email. Obviously I didn’t find one so searched some more & found this!!!! Am going to post on Facebook that it’s a fake to try to stop others being taken in!!!!
We received this message also yesterday and discovered on facebook it wasnt true! When 1st started to read it thought YEH this is a hoax, but by the end of mess wasnt too sure. Put on fb about it and others had been getting the mess, but found out that it was a hoax, Our mess said child abducted in thurmaston asda!
I heard this a couple of years ago …. Hoax or not … It has made me more aware of public toilets … super markets ect …. surely its not a bad thing to bring awareness to the public … Children do get taken …. if we are made aware by myths …then surely they …. in the long run …cause no harm …
My sister called me last night to see if i had heard about this – obviously i hadnt as it was not on the news – i had nightmares last night about this being a mother of a small female child. This morning having access to internet have checked it out and thank god it is not true – however it amazes me that someone would actually want to start such an epsetting rumour. Why Why Why would you want to cause such undue worry and stresss to so many.Doesnt make sense at all.
Pity we cant find the original idiot who sent this text initially and arrange a public humiliation tour so we could pelt em with rotten eggs or a public beating. Shut up you do gooders about not being violent! How many people have received this text and been so distraught!
At a time when our troops are fighting to save our lives and dying in the process, we have scumbags like this who think it is funny to spread such horror.
Pond scum they are!
people have started putting it on their status facebook! Told everyone to goole it and they will c its all false.
How sick ! We received a message last night mentioning Fosse park, firstly it sent shivers through us to think that it could of happened to a small child…and the fear they must of felt…..even bigger shivers now to think that some sick person dreamt this up. What is our world coming to??
I got the tex last night and was disgusted . now reading that its not true who nos ay the goverment do so many cover ups . ive not heard of it before . and i dont think its a case of keeping ur child close to u in the supermarket.we shouldnt have to feel this way when we go shopping with our kids its not our fault how many sick people r out there . i blame the goverment and just how the world works today. and the obvious problem we have in this country . i could very well believe this warning to be true.
I got the tex last night and was disgusted . now reading that its not true who nos ay the goverment do so many cover ups . ive not heard of it before . and i dont think its a case of keeping ur child close to u in the supermarket.we shouldnt have to feel this way when we go shopping with our kids its not our fault how many sick people r out there . i blame the goverment and just how the world works today. and the obvious problem we have in this country . i could very well believe this warning to be true.
just received txt myself, wish people who started this sick thing would put their efforts into something much more productive than this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I received this message word for word. I was out at the time so couldnt check whether it was a hoax. Anyway, i didnt pick up on the racist issue, only that an innocent child was in danger. Its sick how anyone could fabricate such a thing after Maddy, baby P, etc, even if it is just a scam to overload network highways.
This is a horrible thing to start and only serves to make real attempts at alerting people to potential dangers as quickly as possible when an incident occurs impossible as no one will believe it. To anyone who has passes this on in good faith don’t feel bad. my text mentioned Fosse Park Leicester but the same format as described.
Heard this one today, and yeah, was taken in by it, sounded real, and sadly, typical – which makes it believable.
Might make some of the mothers look after their children a bit better in Asda stores though, as it’s all too often that they wander around.
Sadly someone on here seems to think it was started as a racist thing, it doesn’t even mention the nationality of the little girl!
hi, i got this txt from a friend of mine and we were both very shocked think oh my god how could this happen, i then googled it to find out more and then found this, i cant believe that there are some really sick people out there that think this is funny, a childs life in danger is no joke and the people who do this need to be taut a serious lesson.
Iv just got this as well saying it has happened in Thurmaston! These people who started it are sick
I also got this message as a text and although I doubted it from the start as there had been nothing in the press or on tv I thought that maybe the part about ASDA locking all the doors as soon as a child is missing is not a bad idea. Perhaps if the authorities in Luz had acted sooner by blocking roads etc, Madeleine may have been found.
My daugher received this as a text just a few minutes ago, and we decided to look it up to see if it was true as dont generally watch the news, and found the links revealing it as an urband legend..why stress parents out, why differentiate between race if it was a hoax….im sure the phone companies would benefit from this kind of hysteria driven texting hey???
This is really sick if it is a hoax!
I have two small children and it made me really upset to read this.
sick, sick, sick is all can I say about the person who started this, they need locking up!!!
We received numerous texts about this `abduction` yesterday saying it had happened in the Ashington store in Northumberland..We did think it was a bit suspicious !!
I got this message today, It sent shivers up my spine!!! Maybe it a good way, to just spook the parents that would let there kids run freely. to be more careful.
I got this on my phone and set it as a Status on my Facebook….Its sick that its a hoax….but kit raises awareness so cant do too much harm…...I dont think it was the intention of the author to cause panic….merely to make people look after their kids and be more vigilant when out and about….I see so many Parents being lax in their attitude towards their childrens safety etc…
absolutley disgusting to think if a message like this
Crickey Sheila!
Someones been telling porkies.
i recieved this text yesterday about the asda in stockton and i believed it! i watched the regional news i was supprised not to see it on there so i stared looking on the net. where i came across this page and i am disgusted that people can do this its sick. mum of 1.
Honestly, if this was true, don’t you think this would have made headline news by now??
I was soo upset when I got this text, I’m the kind of person that panicks about the littlest of things especially when it comes to my children or others and this just got me panicking. I think the person who started this has a sick mind and needs help, lets just hope that this person was just tinking this will be funny and not actually thinking of doing anything of this sort.
i almost burst into tears at this text i recived last ny!!!! it us awfull!! a chilling thaught!!! sickos who made it up!!!!!! i do not understand!!! n now the person abouve is claiming its fact?? o its awfull!!
I can’t believe some of the people on here are suggesting that it’s a good idea to pass on this message even though we know it’s a hoax. Can’t you see that this hoax was motivated my xenophobia, and that passing it on you’re promoting and encouaging racist attitudes?
My sister got told this story from an employee at asda – hence why we forwarded the story on, coming from an employee you take is seriously. Perhaps your staff should be briefed on not fuelling the fire by telling this story to people.
Completely untrue. I have recieved this message in the past about various different asda’s in the area. The latest one is stockton and is completely false.
I read sooo many hoax’s like this, i just end up not reading them, pity help me if a real one appears. I just wish people would just check if its real BEFORE sending it on. Its so easy, you just copy some of the text, put quotation marks around it and search it in google. It usually tells you in the first few hits if its fake. If everyone did this, we’d get less junk mail AND only get the real warnings.
I received this message last night nearly word for word.I was absolutley horrified as it mentioned a LOCAL STORE.I immediatley sent it to everyone in my phone book.I didnt sleep a wink last night thinking about the poor child and her family and the impact it could have on us all,then a friend text me to say it was a hoax this morning and told me to read this asda site. Thank you Asda for making your customers aware of this!My goodness, I cant believe anybody could be so insensitive about such a serious issue.The positive side makes us all extra careful and we still have to remember the large amount of people in this world are genuine, its only a few that let the human race down!
Rebecca from Bradford says: “I’d just like to say that people who are sending this message among there friends are doing nothing wrong, they are warning there friends as they should, wether a hoax or not. I think its good that asda has posted this as i will not send to any of my friends now i will word it differently”
So you now realise it is a hoax so you “will not send to any of my friends now i will word it differently”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! well you are just as bad as the original source, what on earth are you going to re word it to say?
You have got to be totally messed up in the head to make something like that up. There are little children going missing all the time! Obviously the person who started it doesnt have children or they would have understood just what other parents would feel seing that!
if its true why was there no News coverage? Have heard this tale quite often in Southern Spain for various towns supermarkets. The only difference is its the Gypsies that are blamed.
Look after youre kids, but dont believe all you are texted
is it asda’s policy to lock the doors if this happens?? just out of interest even if not true just wondering what is there policy?
How ignorant are the comments here?
Obviously it’s a hoax. Obviously it’s spam. Obviously you shouldn’t forward it on without first checking and double-checking its authenticity, then check once more just to be cure. Obviously it has xenophobic overtones. Obviously you should question whether it’s evebn worthwhile forwarding, whether true or not.
Now more than ever we need be observant, but not not for shaven-headed androgenous children accompanied by eastern Europeans. We need to be watchful of misinformation presented to the world as fact by those with a vested interest in taking advantage of irrational fears.
One can only imagine the point will be lost, though, on the quivering masses.
Just had a post on Facebook about this, but they said Stockton Asda. I have linked this page to it so people can read for themselves.
Well i belived it, Thats stupid u must be sick in the head to make that up,
i recieved this txt n sent it on didnt no it was not true but even if its not true it will make parents more aware incase it does happen!!!
i have just been sent this message nearly word for word and forwarded it to everyone in my phone, although on the one side of the argument i suppose if it makes one person a bit more vigilant with their children this cant be a bad thing, but on the flip side of that what sick, disgusting and/or deranged person tells a lie about something like that!!
I got the message last night and it upset me as the mother of a young girl. I think it is sick to pass on messages that are not true and hopefully parents are careful and vigilant enough with their children anyway when out and about in shops.
myth
I, personally, think, the person/people who first started this hoax are vile and nasty ! It is an awful thing to lie and joke about, getting parents worried about stuff like this with so many other awful things happening to our children these days is discusting ! Sarah M, Mum of 1.
OMG!!! Well it certainly took me in and makes you think…..what sick individual thought this one up and maybe why little Maddy McCann was abducted and was probably taken to order for waiting for the oppotunity!!!!
I think whoever starts these stories should be punished. I passed on this message to all my friends as I was genuinely concerned especially that it was so close to home and I have 3 young children. I think sick people should think about the impact these false stories have on people and the panick and fear they are instilling.
I received this text today and was shocked. At first i was disgusted but after reading this, i am a litte disappointed – this is because i think it portrays Romanian women in a poor light (why attach a nationality to it – why not just say two women?) I completey support texts messages circulating advising of potential abduction scams and alerts to keeping children safe (who would’nt) however – i think we can be a bit more pro-active and less discriminative in our sources. The underlying message however is paramount – be vigilant for the sake of your loved little ones!
I’d just like to say that people who are sending this message among there friends are doing nothing wrong, they are warning there friends as they should, wether a hoax or not. I think its good that asda has posted this as i will not send to any of my friends now i will word it differently
The Times have written a piece dispelling the myth too: http://timesonline.typepad.com/alphamummy/2009/11/nip-the-latest-child-abduction-urban-legend-in-the-bud.html
If this is a hoax… how come I received this e-mail from one of your employees???