Strip search prankster

[Madame Manga]

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0327netacobell27.html

I read about this in the Wall Street Journal this morning; basically, some fellow is calling fast-food restaurants and the like posing as a police officer. He describes a male or female customer or employee, claims that they are under suspicion of theft or carrying drugs, and tells the manager to conduct a strip search of the person on the premises while he stays on the phone and gives explicit instructions. He also demands descriptions of what is going on and directs the manager to do cavity searches.

And in about fifty incidents over five years, these managers have carried out his orders without question. Not surprisingly, a large number of lawsuits have been filed.

OK, I know that people who work at low-end restaurants are not necessarily the best and the brightest; I was an employee at a Mickey D's a very long time ago, and quit in disgust after two weeks. But good gravy, this guy must be awfully persuasive! What would you say if someone rang you at work and ordered you to take a fellow employee into the stockroom and strip her?

MM

 

[oo0_boo_0oo]

I'd wonder if all my christmas' had come at once?

No seriously... I just wouldn't do it.

 

[NoJo]

I voss only following orters.

 

[Guest]

Boy, do I feel dumb. I strip-searched myself on vid-cam. (He wore a uniform and badge.)

Perdita

 

[Guest]

Boy, do I feel dumb. I strip-searched myself on vid-cam. (He wore a uniform and badge.)

Perdita

Now *that's* sexy!


MM, you're right, those guys can't have been the brightest of buttons. Not exactly a normal, every day occurance.

Lou

 

[Boxlicker101]

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0327netacobell27.html

I read about this in the Wall Street Journal this morning; basically, some fellow is calling fast-food restaurants and the like posing as a police officer. He describes a male or female customer or employee, claims that they are under suspicion of theft or carrying drugs, and tells the manager to conduct a strip search of the person on the premises while he stays on the phone and gives explicit instructions. He also demands descriptions of what is going on and directs the manager to do cavity searches.

And in about fifty incidents over five years, these managers have carried out his orders without question. Not surprisingly, a large number of lawsuits have been filed.

OK, I know that people who work at low-end restaurants are not necessarily the best and the brightest; I was an employee at a Mickey D's a very long time ago, and quit in disgust after two weeks. But good gravy, this guy must be awfully persuasive! What would you say if someone rang you at work and ordered you to take a fellow employee into the stockroom and strip her?

MM

I can't believe any manager would actually do this and I can't believe any customer or employee would tolerate it. Is this another of those infamous urban legends?

 

[destinie21]

umm if some fuck nugget manager had told me they needed to strip search me I'd say hell no. What's wrong with people?

 

[Madame Manga]

Re: Re: Strip search prankster

I can't believe any manager would actually do this and I can't believe any customer or employee would tolerate it. Is this another of those infamous urban legends?

I couldn't believe it either, but there it is--I found a number of mentions of this on a search in Google news. I have a vague memory of reading about a case like this some time ago, and he's been operating for at least five years, apparently. The WSJ said he's been traced to pay phones in northern Florida, so I guess he's for real. Must spin a hell of a line!

MM

 

[lucky-E-leven]

Re: Re: Strip search prankster

I can't believe any manager would actually do this and I can't believe any customer or employee would tolerate it. Is this another of those infamous urban legends?

I'm wondering if you've ever worked in the fast food industry, then? It does not surprise me in the least. It's sad, but I'd be more interested to see how many cases come out of the wood work where the manager did refuse. I know for a fact that only one of my three managers would have been gullible enough to fall for it, but I also recognize that I am possibly the only employee that would've outright refused.

It's important to keep in mind that most fast food employees are just barely sixteen and holding their first ever job. It's totally possible that they wouldn't have a clue when and how to stand up for their rights, especially when their boss has fallen victim to a prank and demands their cooperation. I find it unbelievably sad and sick as all hell, but it doesn't surprise me one bit.


~lucky

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Re: Re: Re: Strip search prankster

I'm wondering if you've ever worked in the fast food industry, then? It does not surprise me in the least. It's sad, but I'd be more interested to see how many cases come out of the wood work where the manager did refuse. I know for a fact that only one of my three managers would have been gullible enough to fall for it, but I also recognize that I am possibly the only employee that would've outright refused.

It's important to keep in mind that most fast food employees are just barely sixteen and holding their first ever job. It's totally possible that they wouldn't have a clue when and how to stand up for their rights, especially when their boss has fallen victim to a prank and demands their cooperation. I find it unbelievably sad and sick as all hell, but it doesn't surprise me one bit.


~lucky

Yeah, just look at McD where I used to work. They asked us to buy our own pencils and bring to work, because the pencils there were always disappearing!

It's sad that such a big company like McDonalds can't afford to equip their employees with pencils..!

(And even sadder that I was the only one who said "There's no freakin' way I'm gonna supply McDonalds with pencils!!!")

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I don't know if that one's true, but I've heard of a number of "anonymous coersion" cases similar to that. In one, a guy pretended to be a Doctor and called up women and convinced them to do vaginal self-exams over the phone. I don't know if they're absolutely true or not, but I wouldn't be surprised.

There was a famous experiment where college kids were told to administer electric shocks to innocent victims as part of a "physiology experiment". The victims were actors and actresses who would scream and simulate real agony, but not one of the college kids protested about what they were being made to do or refused to go on with it. They all did as they were told and kept zapping them. Some of them really got into it.

People can be coerced to do all sorts of terrible things, and don't think it couldn't happen to you. Look at what the Germans were talked into doing during WWII. These people weren't monsters, not to start with. We've already been coerced into giving up some basic freedoms with barely a peep of protest. After all, it's for our own good, right? If some guy claiming to be from the FBI called you up and told you some weird co-worker of yours was suspected of doing some thing or another, would you just tell the caller to fuck off?

---dr.M.

 

[Madame Manga]

If some guy claiming to be from the FBI called you up and told you some weird co-worker of yours was suspected of doing some thing or another, would you just tell the caller to fuck off?

---dr.M.

Sadly enough, it had occurred to me that if this guy used a "national security" spiel and targeted victims of Middle Eastern descent, he could probably get many people to do damn near anything to them. Heavens, these days when people get emails telling them to submit their account numbers, social security numbers and PINs to someone claiming to represent their financial institution, they do it in droves. If people won't safeguard their own money, they certainly won't safeguard the rights of someone they have been told is a criminal.

Question authority.

MM

 

[minsue]

How on earth did I miss this in the local news??? (other than the fact that I don't subscribe to the paper MM linked. )

- Mindy, so proud to be an Arizonan today

 

[Boxlicker101]

Re: Re: Re: Strip search prankster

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Boxlicker101
I can't believe any manager would actually do this and I can't believe any customer or employee would tolerate it. Is this another of those infamous urban legends?

I'm wondering if you've ever worked in the fast food industry, then? It does not surprise me in the least. It's sad, but I'd be more interested to see how many cases come out of the wood work where the manager did refuse. I know for a fact that only one of my three managers would have been gullible enough to fall for it, but I also recognize that I am possibly the only employee that would've outright refused.

It's important to keep in mind that most fast food employees are just barely sixteen and holding their first ever job. It's totally possible that they wouldn't have a clue when and how to stand up for their rights, especially when their boss has fallen victim to a prank and demands their cooperation. I find it unbelievably sad and sick as all hell, but it doesn't surprise me one bit.


~lucky

I can see how some naive employee might tolerate this indignity but I can't see any customer doing so without violent physical resistance.

 

[Bizkit_Writer]

Isn't that illegal? If someone asked me to do that I'd kick their ass.

 

[Weird Harold]

If someone asked me to do that I'd kick their ass.

You must teach us all this mystical martial art of kicking someone's ass through the phone line. It's a skill I would apply vigorously to telemarketers as well as scam artists.

Yes, it's illegal to perform strip searches because someone on the phone convinced you they're an police officer who needs your help.

But worse than it being illegal, is the fact that apparently so many people -- both searchers and searched -- are ignorant enough to not know that!

 

[Svenskaflicka]

...and stupid enough not to tell the "police man": "Fuck off, I'm not gonna do your work for you! You want someone strip searched, YOU do it!!!"

 

[fifty5]

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0327netacobell27.html

I read about this in the Wall Street Journal this morning;

It's credible.

I worked at a Wimpy Bar when I was a student. The things that did go on were incredible. Like the night-duty cops used to come in for free food after the bar shut - and did favours in return (my car was towed away, but returned free when I explained that I worked at the Wimpy).

Like one griller who leaped over the bar brandishing a kitchen knife.

Like the fact that the bar was 'central supplies' for drugs.

Like all the staff were up for whatever they could get away with.

Strip search a customer? It didn't happen, but it could have.

Strip search a girl employee? They cooperated and enjoyed it!

f5