The Wal-Mart Shooting Gang Initiation Rumor

The Wal-Mart shooting gang initiation rumor that has been going around since 2005 has proven to be a fraud. Mysterious text messages, warning women to stay away from Wal-Marts because of a possible violent gang induction, have been flying around all over the country recently. News reports in Texas, Georgia, Utah and even Hawaii have been talking about this phenomenon.

This hoax, has been giving a lot of people cause for concern. However it's just an internet rumor. It's the latest version of a 4-year-old scam e-mail warning women that gang member wannabees will kill women at Wal-Mart as part of a gang initiation ritual, according to snopes.com.The “Wal-Mart gang initiation” hoax takes several forms, but usually involves gang members planning to kill black women at a local Wal-Mart as an induction for new members.

Kelly Cheeseman, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman, said "We are aware of the message and we are working with police and our own security to make sure that security at our local stores is increased". She also stated that "While we take these things seriously and our No. 1 priority is the safety of our customers and our associates, we regard these texts as only a rumor."

The Wal-Mart shooting gang initiation rumor is just that, a rumor. I wrote this post because it is the hottest topic on the internet right now, and hopefully, with others also putting this hoax to bed my next post will be on a topic that will be a better use of my time.