Child Abduction Hoax
By Amy E. Feldman
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Snopes.com is reporting that an old kidnapping hoax is circulating on the internet again.
"Please take the time and forward this to any friend who has children," the email read. It went on to discuss a near abduction in a Sam's Club in which a mother leaning over to get meat turned back to find her daughter missing. Due to the quick response of the Sam's Club team, the girl was found in the bathroom with her head shaved in an effort to get her out in a disguise - terrifying. Also, according to Snopes.com - completely fabricated. It didn't happen.
While the Sam's Club email hoax seems to be no worse than a reminder to watch your children in public places, it does distract from an important statistic. According the FBI, the majority of missing kids are not taken by strangers but by relatives or people they or their family knows. So teach kids never to go with anyone, even those they know, unless they've been told by you or if the person was given a password known only to you and your child. Teach kids that if anyone shows great interest, gives them gifts or asks to take their pictures, they are to tell you.
Most important, teach that it's ok to say no to adults if they feel they are being asked to do something wrong.
