Safety Zone

Gun-Toting Grannies

• 13 February 2020

Did an old lady pull a gun on men she found sitting in her car?

• Fact Check

Gun-Toting Grannies

Can You Access Emergency Services by Pressing an iPhone’s Lock Button Five Times?

• 29 November 2017

Users of the iPhones running iOS 11 can make use of the feature but should...

• Fact Check

Can You Access Emergency Services by Pressing an iPhone’s Lock Button Five Times?

Telling Siri to ‘Charge My Phone to 100%’ Summons Police

• 26 December 2016

Siri can do a lot of things, but she won't summon police surreptitiously in response...

• Fact Check

Telling Siri to ‘Charge My Phone to 100%’ Summons Police

Will Landlines Eventually Dial 911 or Emergency Services if Left Off the Hook?

• 12 December 2016

Long-circulating rumors hold that phones left off the hook will eventually dial emergency services to...

• Fact Check

Will Landlines Eventually Dial 911 or Emergency Services if Left Off the Hook?

Response Time

• 14 April 2015

Rumor: A man who couldn't motivate police to respond to a break-in on his property...

• Fact Check

Response Time

Hit the Floor!

• 9 May 2012

Legend: The apocryphal tale of the black celebrity, an elevator, and a frightened woman.

• Fact Check

Hit the Floor!

The Jogger’s Billfold

• 26 July 2011

Did a jogger unwittingly commit a theft?

• Fact Check

The Jogger’s Billfold

Stolen Watch

• 26 July 2011

Did a professor unwittingly commit a theft?

• Fact Check

Stolen Watch

The Biscuit Bullet

• 26 July 2011

A woman sitting in a car thinks she's been shot when a canister of biscuit...

• Fact Check

The Biscuit Bullet

Tomato Dials 911

• 7 April 2011

A 911 call was initiated by a tomato.

• Fact Check

Tomato Dials 911

Dying Phones Call 911

• 1 April 2009

Some cordless phones call 911 by themselves when their batteries run low.

• Fact Check

Dying Phones Call 911

The Stolen Biscuits

• 9 February 1999

A long-circulating tale of biscuit banditry.

• Fact Check

The Stolen Biscuits