Chivalry or Deception

My Mom sent this to me and I thought it worthy to share. Although the story is an urban myth, the techniques described here aren't. We teach interviewing techniques predators use in our self-defense classes – this being one of them.

About a month ago there was a woman standing by the mall entrance passing out flyers to all the women going in. The woman had written the flyer herself to tell about an experience she had, so she could warn other women. The previous day, this woman had finished shopping, gone to her car and discovered she had a flat.

She got the jack out and began to change the flat. A nice man dressed in a business suit carrying a briefcase walked up to her and said, "I noticed you're changing a flat tire. Would you like me to take care of it for you?"

The woman was grateful for his offer and accepted his help. They chatted amiably while the man changed the flat, put the flat tire and the jack in the trunk, shut it and dusted his hands off.

The woman thanked him profusely, and as she was about to get in her car, the man told her he left his car around on the other side of the mall, and asked if she would mind giving him a lift. She was a little surprised and asked him why his car was on other side.

He explained that he had seen an old friend in the mall that he hadn't seen for some time and they had a bite to eat, visited for a while, and he got turned around in the mall and left through the wrong exit, and now was running late. The woman hated to tell him "no" because he had just rescued her from having to change her flat tire all by herself, but she felt uneasy.

Then she remembered seeing the man put his briefcase in her trunk before shutting it and before he asked her for a ride to his car. She told him that she'd be happy to drive him around to his car, but she just remembered one last thing she needed to buy.

She said she would only be a few minutes; he could sit down in her car and wait for her. She hurried into the mall, told a security guard what had happened. The guard came out to her car with her, but the man had left. They opened the trunk, took out his locked briefcase and took it to the police station.

The police opened it (ostensibly to look for ID so they could return it to the man). What they found was rope, duct tape and knives. When the police checked her "flat" tire, there was nothing wrong with it; the air had simply been let out.

It was obvious what the man's intention were, and that he had carefully thought it out in advance. The woman was successful in escaping harm.

Remember, 90% of self-defense is awareness - trust your instincts.

**Angie M. Tarighi is the CEO/Founder of Women's Self-Defense Institute and EasySafety4U.com providing self defense training, education awareness & personal protection products empowering women to fight back against crime.