The AIDS-Infected Needles in Telephone Coin Slot/Movie Theater Seats Email Warning Is A Hoax

Last significant update: 18 May 1999

This information can be freely reproduced in any medium, as long as the information is unmodified.

Thanks to Helayne Gaither for bringing this hoax to our attention on 10 November, 1998.

There is no recorded report I've been able to find of the following happening:

Drug users are now taking their used needles and putting them into the
coin return slots in public telephones. People are putting their fingers
in to recover coins or just to check if anyone left change. They are
getting stuck by these needles and infected with hepatitis, HIV and
other diseases.  PLEASE watch children with this.  How many times did
you stick your finger in a coin slot when you were younger hoping to
find some loose change. 

Someone is obviously annoyed that others are getting "his" (or her) money from the coin slot....

 

This message is posted to make everyone aware of this danger. Be aware! The
change isn't worth it. This information came straight from phone company
workers, through the EMT instructor.

Interesting, then, isn't it? This information has been floating around at least since November 1998, but still it hasn't made headlines anywhere! Surely at least one newspaper, magazine, or reputable web site would have warned us about this by now!

[Of course, some web sites have debunked it already, but that hasn't killed the hoax. Yet.]

This hoax comes in a different form as well; I think I heard somewhere that it was in a horror flick. Again, no reputable reports of this really happening; the only reports are from folks who forward the message (no doubt with good intentions):

> INCIDENT AT THE MOVIE THEATER GOING TO A MOVIE PLEASE CHECK 
> YOUR CHAIRS WHEN GOING TO THE MOVIE THEATERS!!!!
>
> An incident occurred when a friends CO-worker went to sit in a 
> chair and something was poking her.  She got up and found that it 
> was a needle with a little note at the end.  It said "Welcome to 
> the real world, you're "HIV POSITIVE".  Doctors tested the needle 
> and it was "HIV POSITIVE"  Be cautious when going to the 
> movies...Please check and one of the safest ways to check is 
> moving the seat part way up & down a few times and REALLY LOOK!!! 
> but NOT sticking your hands between the seats.  Most of us plop 
> down in the seats.....

I'm all for caution, really. But this is one of those things that fals into the "Always wear your raincoat when it's raining" kind of things -- except that it actually does rain occasionally. Even if this has ever happened at all, the likelihood is very small. Until there is any actual evidence that this has actually happened, it is a Bad Thing to forward such email.

Please do not forward this -- or any other hoax -- to all your friends.

Instead, you should reply to the sender -- and as far back up the email chain as you have energy -- informing the originators that this is a hoax. For this particular hoax, I suggest that you provide a pointer to this URL (http://www.umich.edu/~virus-busters/hoaxes/needle.html)
For virus or hoax info, please see our main page (http://www.umich.edu/~virus-busters/) or go to another reputable site, like DataFellows (leaving our site).

   -BPB

visits to this page since 18 May, 1999 06:26 EDT