SUGGESTED ANSWER TO QUESTION 16B-2

This is an urban legend that is well known and has a number of variations. Originally, it was stated to have occurred in Las Vegas. The story may have become common knowledge because it was used in an early episode of Law and Order. This show's stories are often based on actual events, so perhaps many people concluded that there was some truth to it.

There are several signs to look for when you are trying to decide if a story you hear is an urban legend (Emery, 2000b; Harris, 2001):

  • The incidents did not happen to the story teller, but to a friend, or a friend of a friend, or the wife of a friend, and so on.
  • The story teller states that "this is a true story."
  • You've heard the story more than once and with changes in the details.
  • The story concerns something in which people tend to be very interested (such as death, sex, or celebrities).
  • The story contains a moral or a warning.
  • The story seems just a bit too unusual to be true (for example, it contradicts common sense).
  • If you receive the story by e-mail, it states that you should forward the message "to everyone you know" in order to warn them.

But these are only warning signs that a story may be an urban legend. Some stories show a number of these signs but still are true. Any story that you suspect of being an urban legend can be checked at a number of Internet sites. In addition, there are several sites that provide information about Internet hoaxes. Here is a listing of some of the more reliable web sites:

About Urban Legends and Folklore
http://urbanlegends.about.com/mbody.htm

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Health Related Hoaxes and Rumors
http://www.cdc.gov/hoax_rumors.htm

CSICOP Hoax Watch (about misinformation and hoaxes about terrorism)
http://www.csicop.org/hoaxwatch/

Hoaxbusters (about e-mail hoaxes and chain letters)
http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/

Symantec (about e-mail hoaxes)
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html

Vmyths.com (about computer virus myths, hoaxes, and urbanlegends)
http://www.vmyths.com/