Hoax caller targeting restaurants

Apr 15, 2004 1:12 PM

A hoax caller who poses as a police officer or company official is targeting restaurants, causing staff members and patrons to be unnecessarily searched. The man most recently called a Phoenix-area Taco Bell restaurant and informed the manager there was a thief on the premises. The caller said someone's pocketbook was missing, and posing as a police officer, ordered that a female customer be detained and strip-searched in a back office. The call, of course, was a hoax. Investigators tell The Associated Press that they believe the caller has pulled the same stunt dozens of times nationwide since 1999 with alarming success. The caller, who sometimes poses as a company official, has persuaded managers at restaurants and other stores to detain and search employees for drugs or money. Targets have included Taco Bell, McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Ruby Tuesday, Applebee's, Perkins and others. The March 22 call to the Taco Bell in Arizona is believed to be the first time a customer has been the victim -- the manager pulled aside a 17-year-old girl, and threatened with jail otherwise, she submitted to the search as the caller remained on the line to direct it.

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