E-mail Hoax

By: Parul Joshi/Eyewitness News 9 | WNCT
Published: January 17, 2008

An e-mail making its way into computers across the east tonight has a lot of people on edge.
Those emails claim violent gang initiations involving raping and beating women are happening around town. But police say it's all a sick hoax.

We received an e-mail from a viewer who was concerned that gang members beat and raped a woman in a parking lot last night and tried to do the same to another across town. When I looked into it, I found that several other people received similar e-mails and phone calls and I quickly learned the concern wasn't just from one viewer.

It's business as usual at the Target and Wal-Mart stores in Greenville. But there are many who worry that instead of shopping violent gang activity was happening here Wednesday night.

For example, a Nine On Your Side viewer asked us if there was an attempted rape in the parking lot of Target. The viewer also asked if gang members raped and beat a girl outside of Wal-Mart.

Corporal Kip Gaskins says, "we want to get the message out that this is a hoax - this e-mail is not true - none of this stuff has been reported to police department."

Gaskins says a handful of hoax e-mails pop up each year. But he doesn't want fear of something being a hoax from keeping people from contacting law enforcement.

Gaskins says, "last thing we want to do is stop community involvement - because we're going to continue to tell public to be involved and share information."

Just an hour before we talked with Tracy Kennedy at the Real Crisis Center, she says she received a false e-mail too.

Kennedy says, "I don't like the fact the community is in fear ."

Kennedy works with law enforcement in Pitt County on sexual assault cases as a victim's advocate. She says, "one thing I can say these are not true - but the fact they can be true - is very scary and we hope people are on their guard - when they're out in public parking lots."

That's why Kennedy says the rest of us need to keep our eyes and ears open to help build a safer community.

Tracy Kennedy says if you are a victim of sexual assault contact the Pitt County Sexual Assault Response Team at 252-758-HELP. The team consists of law enforcement officials as well as victims advocates.