I'm Only "Kidney"ing!

Recently, I received an urban legend via e-mail. Basically it stated that there was a black market ring in existence that stole kidneys and other major organs from unsuspecting people. They did this by luring the victims to parties, drugging their drinks, and harvesting their organs while unconscious. Then, after it was over, the victim would be left in a tub of ice with the instructions to "Call 911 if you want to live" and given access to a phone. They were then asked by the 911 operator to look in the mirror, to confirm that their kidneys were indeed removed. The operator goes on to state that this had happened before, and it was becoming a widespread problem. The legend professes that this ring of organ stealers sells the organs to patients in need of organ transplants via their doctors. At the conclusion of the e-mail was a phone number to call for information.

Pretty scary, eh? Not only do you have to worry about boring conversation and bad food at a party, now you have to worry about being drugged and having your kidneys harvested. Debunking this one was easy-I called the number at the bottom. This poor company has received so many calls regarding this e-mail that they answered the phone, asked if this was in regard to "the kidney story" and switched me over to a recording, which states that this is a software company which never made this claim to anyone, and their phone number and address has been used falsely.

But even before I got to the number, I spotted other famous urban legend text. The writer claims, "I got this from a very reliable source," and states that it is "not a scam" and "is confirmable". Usually if someone goes through such great lengths to assure you that a story is not false, it most likely is. As I read on, I also thought of how considerate the "crooks" were that didn't care that they were drugging you and stealing your organs, but had the presence of mind to set you up in a tub full of ice (no small feat if you've ever tried it to keep drinks cold for a party!), place a phone near you (in the bathroom!!??) and instruct you to "Call 911 if you want to live."

Also, organ transplants are quite a complicated procedure, and matching donors and blood and tissue types is part of the preparation work that medical personnel must complete before a transplant is begun. Doctors don't just take a kidney from any available cooler and not ask where it came from. So a "black market" for organs just isn't very probable.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic