UPS Terrorism Hoax Fools LAPD and U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Patch
By its own admission, the LAPD has been caught with its pants down—the nation’s third-largest municipal police force has fallen victim to a hoax.
On Apr. 29, the LAPD sent out an alert to the public to beware of the possibility of phony UPS drivers showing up at people’s doors. “There has been a huge purchase, $32,000 worth, of United Parcel Service (UPS) uniforms on eBay over the last 30 days,” the alert said, adding: “This could represent a serious threat as bogus drivers (terrorists) can drop off anything to anyone with deadly consequences!"
“We basically put out false information and we realized within an hour that it was a hoax,” Valadez said, adding: “But this thing [the alert] spread its wings and went out across the country—we’ve been getting calls and emails ever since.”
By its own admission, the LAPD has been caught with its pants down—the nation’s third-largest municipal police force has fallen victim to a hoax.
On Apr. 29, the LAPD sent out an alert to the public to beware of the possibility of phony UPS drivers showing up at people’s doors. “There has been a huge purchase, $32,000 worth, of United Parcel Service (UPS) uniforms on eBay over the last 30 days,” the alert said, adding: “This could represent a serious threat as bogus drivers (terrorists) can drop off anything to anyone with deadly consequences!"
“We basically put out false information and we realized within an hour that it was a hoax,” Valadez said, adding: “But this thing [the alert] spread its wings and went out across the country—we’ve been getting calls and emails ever since.”
