Little Ashley Flores is missing

Send to a friend Print

Help more people find out about this story

Del.icio.us
StumbleUpon

Peter Dockrill29 June 2006, 2:06 AM

The internet is abuzz with the story of Ashley Flores, a purportedly missing 13-year-old girl from Philadelphia. Emails bearing her image are currently circulating between Australian inboxes - but there's something a bit fishy about this missing girl story. . .


ashley-flores200.jpgThe internet is abuzz with the story of Ashley Flores, a purportedly missing 13-year-old girl from Philadelphia.

Emails bearing her image are currently circulating between Australian inboxes, alerting recipients to her missing status and asking well-meaning mail readers to forward the email on to those they know, in the hope that the missing girl can be found.

The only catch is - Ashley Flores isn’t missing, and no-one can say for sure who the girl in the photo actually is. In fact, nobody’s even sure if “Ashley Flores” even exists (but she probably does). Welcome to the latest internet hoax; another in a long line including Bill Gates' email beta program; HIV-infected syringes being planted in cinema seats; Kimberley Anne is dying of a horrible disease and wants to collect as many America Online CDs as she can before she dies.

The Ashley Flores flyer is simply an email prank, spread unwittingly by the good samaritans of the world.

And it’s not hard to see why it’s such a successful ruse. Using simple, emotive language (and a picture of somebody’s - if not Mr and Mrs Flores’ - daughter), the email acts as a call to arms for the reader’s conscience, imploring the side of you that actually gives a damn to do the least you can (ie. hit the Forward button).

The email reads:

“Please look at the picture, read what her mother says, then forward this message on.

Maybe if everyone passes this on, someone will see this child. That is how the girl from Stevens Point was found, by circulation of her picture on TV. The internet circulates even overseas, South America, and Canada etc. Thanks. Please pass this to everyone in your address book.

We have a Deli manager (Acme Markets) from Philadelphia, Pa who has a 13 year old daughter who has been missing for 2 weeks. Keep the picture moving. With luck on her side she will be found.

`I am asking you all, begging you to please forward this email on to anyone and everyone you know, PLEASE. My 13 year old girl, Ashley Flores, is missing. She has been missing for now two weeks.

It is still not too late. Please help us. If anyone any where knows anything, please contact me at: mailto:HelpfindAshleyFlores@yahoo.com. I am including a picture of her. All prayers are appreciated!!"

It only takes 2 seconds to forward this.

If it was your child, you would want all the help you could get.'

And that’s all it takes. Words are read. Heartstrings are pulled. Forward buttons are pressed. And the hoax thrives.

Debunking site Urban Legends dug some dirt on the hoax and ended up discovering its potential originator, a 17-year-old Philadelphian MySpace user going by the name of Vicki. When Urban Legends contacted Vicki, it was met with the following response:

“ashley flores is not missing it was a merly a joke that got completely out of hand please imform everyone that email that she is NOT missing it was a joke im sorry about any confusion”

The email has been circulating since May and is arguably now more of a pest in countries other than the US (where it originated - but where it has perhaps already done the rounds and had its’ 15 minutes).

What I find fascinating about the whole affair is the speed and momentum with which the fabrication propagates itself. The simple combination of 1. internet and email access, 2. users and workers at their desks killing time and 3. a cunning practical joke equates to a whole lot of folks gotten the better of.


Post your comment



Comments

RSS feed Email alert

Kevin:

Spam email is an EXCELLENT idea why EMAIL POSTAGE STAMPS (charges for sending emails) should be implimented.

29 February 2008, 8:28 PM (9 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Patti:

The last thing we need is pto pay for emails too, its one of the last things we can do free. If you don't want the spam, don't open it. Its just like TV. Turn It OFF.

29 February 2008, 8:33 PM (9 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Mike C:

We have the technology in place to find the originator of this hoax. He/she should be found and charged with criminal charges and jailed. In today's world we have too many children missing and there are plenty of good hearted people assisting to find them. We don't need to be distracted and keep our attention focused. Let's find this idiot!

29 February 2008, 8:28 PM (9 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Anonymous34343:

They found her on my page

but the world full of moron cops who do nothing

druggies all over the place, people prankin such as this

jail em all

29 February 2008, 8:33 PM (9 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Damien:

I have never seen this email.

This could mean one of two things. Either all my friends are cold and heartless and didn't forward it on, OR my anti-spam system is a damn site better than most peoples.

I can't decided between the two.

These sort of emails are only a problem because IT administrators let them be.

29 February 2008, 8:28 PM (9 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Protocol:

What a hide this little p#@*k has. My younger sister went missing earlier this year and she was found murdered. Not throughany help from an idiot on the e-mail, but by some real life Male's and Fe-Males called Dectective's and Police, who did what they do best. Oh and buy the way, preying on, and wasting the time of those of us who would seriously forward this on to help.....like I was about to do before Googling Ashley's name and finding this sight, deserves some public humiliation treatment and community service for it's effort. This guy doesn't know how many people out there are still looking for their children, who would see this, to only find out some punk brought back to the surface, all there trauma and anxiety, of their loss. If anyone out there can get this idiot's e-mail address lets all get together and show him how funny it is to go through that trauma. maybe then he'll understand that it aint funny at all....

Rest in peace Jody Galante love your big bro.

29 February 2008, 8:28 PM (9 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tina:

Im so sorry about your sister...God bless you and your family..

29 February 2008, 8:33 PM (9 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Allison:

If you look hard enough Ashley Flores was a little girl who died in 2004! What a sick prank to start. Shame on you!

29 February 2008, 8:28 PM (9 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Norgan:

If we all use a bit of common sense and a good spam filter then we can stop this.

No matter what restrictions you try to put on the senders the only way to stop it is for the general user of the Internet and email to wise up and open your eyes.

I also agree that there may be many small to medium businesses that may not be spending the money on a good anti-spam email filter. The cost is really quite reasonable and there is no reason for not doing it. IT is becoming more and more important as our utilization of it grows and attention must be made to the important issues such as spam.

We cannot however impose restrictions on an open forum of communication without compromising the usefulness of it so there is no use harping on about how we should restrict the internet. 1 it is technically impossible, 2 it is morally wrong.

Either way a bit of due dilligence on both the user and administrator end is all we can do and is all we really need to do to ensure safe and efficient data communications.

29 February 2008, 8:28 PM (9 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Margaret:

i'm from Ireland and this email is circulating here at the moment. There are actually geniune missing people out there and when they do need our help no one will bother because of people like the pranksters who sent this.

29 February 2008, 8:28 PM (9 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

natasha:

okay, so yeah this is a pathetic email to send but what does it say for all those who were gullible enough to send it on without doing a little search first... so really, there are two conclusions... people are really that gullible to believe that its true or people are just to lazy to type the name into a search engine.

29 February 2008, 8:28 PM (9 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

KENNY:

This is so low to think that some idiot can go so far as to do something like this. Children go missing everyday and not many of them are found alive.
I have a friend who loves helping others as a friend of ours was kidnapped and killed. And to go back to her and tell her that all this is false!!!!
So heres to the culptrate who did this : Jou Ma Se Poes!!!

RIP little saint

29 February 2008, 8:28 PM (9 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Lea:

Yes, I recieved this email also. I deleted it before I began to get too involved reading it and before it started to pull at those heart strings.

29 February 2008, 8:28 PM (9 months ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply