The terrorist “don’t be in this place at this time” warning

Picture this scenario – you see a man drop his wallet on the sidewalk, and being the good Samaritan that you are, you immediately rush to reunite the pair. The man proves grateful and explains that in return he will do you a favour – and issues you a stark yet ambiguous warning; whatever you do, avoid being at a certain place at a certain time.

It may sound like the opening plot of a Hollywood thriller, yet according to a whole host of Internet rumours, this really did happen.

Take, for example, this version below that spread back in 2014.

How f**king scary is this, Dad’s work mate and his wife found the wallet of a Muslim man that had a lot of money in it & when they returned it to him he said “because you have done me a good deed I will do you a good deed and tell you don’t be anywhere near Sydney for New Year”

Alarming, to say the least. But when we delve in deeper, these cautionary messages prove to be nothing more than your average Internet chain rumour.

This is demonstrated largely by the sheer volume of permutations and variations of this rumour that have run wild in cyberspace over the years. The example above, that warns of avoiding Sydney during the 2014 New Year’s celebrations, is merely the tip of a very large iceberg.

This tale actually exhibits a good number of attributes that we would expect to see in your classic urban legend, specifically in this case the almost endless number of variants, all worded slightly differently, quoting different times and places. Take the below example, which circulated in the UK only a month after the 9/11 attacks in 2001 in the United States –

This came from a friend of my sisters this morning:
Morning all – had a bizarre message from my brother in the early hours this morning…
His friend’s girlfriend was shopping in Harrods on the weekend. There was an Arab man in front of her who was buying a number of things with cash – he was a few pounds short so the girl offered him £3 to cover it. He thanked her profusely and left. When she left the store the man followed her out and thanked her again and then warned her not to travel on the Tube today!! (Monday 1st October) She was a little thrown by this so she went to the police. The police were very sceptical but in order to eliminate her suspicions gave her the photo-ID book of all known dissidents in the UK. He was on the second page listed as a known terrorist.
This is apparently true and the police are apparently taking this extremely seriously. The most likely time would be rush hour this evening so please avoid it if you can – who knows it may be nothing but is it worth the risk?

In fact this version has an American counterpart, below –

Just heard from my Aunt on the East Coast. A co-worker just told her that she and her husband were shopping at a Costco last night and they were checking out behind an Arab couple. The Arabs did not have enough money to pay their bill so she offered to give them the money. They said we can’t pay you back but we can give you some information instead. They said to stay away from the Baltimore tunnels (specifically, the Harbor Tunnel) for the next few days. She called the FBI and they showed her the new Most Wanted list that just came out and he was one of them – the FBI has not been able to find him – he’s apparently still living in Laurel. This woman was so upset that she came to work today and then went home.

It amazing that these people are living amongst us and even with their families and kids in our schools. Anyway, Jackie said they are checking all trucks going into and out of the Balt. tunnels. She advised staying away from Baltimore period through this weekend at least. Tell anyone you think might be affected by this.

Another UK version targeted Cardiff as the place to avoid –

***Cardiff shopping update*****
I’ve been told my a friend this morning
A MUSLIM MAN had dropped his wallet while in the city.
The person picked it up and returned it to him ( as most decent would) he was very grateful and thanked the person for returning the wallet and said to him. DO NOT COME INTO CARDIFF OVER CHRISTMAS!!! . So guys please be careful and don’t leave your shopping to late. I am going once and soon. I do not trust that we will not be hit on our local city. X

While we’ve picked a selection to show you here, the number of versions this rumour has taken over the years is practically endless, with dozens, if not hundreds of cities across the world seeing their own adaptation of this warning.

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Modern versions, now doubt adapting to current and prolific news stories regarding the threat of terrorist organisations such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS, often quote people of the Islamic faith as the supposed terrorist giving the warning, while other versions state “Arab”.

The hoaxes often gain such prolific circulation and garner such panic amongst online users that police departments have repeatedly had to step in and dismiss the claims. The NYPD has previously asserted –

“There are several variations on the rumor, but it is just that, the latest urban myth. There is no basis in the rumor and it is not tied to any known threats.”

Perhaps another tell-tale sign associated with urban legendry is that person who found themselves at the receiving end of this alleged stark warning is never actually known. In most versions, the tale was not even authored by the person directly involved, but by a ‘family friend’ or ‘friend of a family friend’. Many variants start with such telling statements like ‘I got this warning from a friend‘ or ‘my dad’s workmate‘ or even ‘a friend of by half-brother‘.

This is classic attribute to many a classic urban legend. It has always happened to a friend of a friend, and everyone else merely passes the cautionary advice on to their own friends. The people directly involved can rarely be pinned down, most likely avoiding the prospect of having to justify their fairy-tale in the face of healthy scepticism.

Ultimately though, these warnings can be dismissed simply down to the fact that despite the large number of versions that have spread in the last decade or so, none have actually materialised into anything. What we have here is nothing more than a digital urban legend.

Social media can, and sometimes does, act as an effective medium to warn people of potential dangers. But that effectiveness is largely dependent on how we choose to use this technology. Spreading lies and misinformation devalues the true information, in what is essentially an online version of ‘The Boy Who Cried Wolf‘.