"Watch out when pumping petrol": Lord Sugar tweets debunked story of HIV needles

Debunked by snopes

Alan Sugar is the star of the UK's version of the Apprentice, making him the equivalent of Donald Trump. He's also a member of the House of Lords.

Despite his status, according to fact checking service Snopes, the story he's shared isn't true and has been a myth since it was first reported in 2017:

"Although there have been a few isolated reports of copycat pranksters leaving needles in public places (including gas pumps, such as an incident in May 2017) in the wake of this hoax, none of those incidents has involved a needle bearing any traces of HIV. No matter how it is reworded ... [this] is naught but another darn fool hoax dreamed up by someone intent upon enjoying the sight of people thrown into a panic over nothing."

Snopes.com

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When the rumour first surfaced in 2000, the local sheriff station was overwhelmed:

"Besieged with phone calls and electronic mail, officials in Jacksonville are trying to quell an e-mail hoax that claims hypodermic needles concealed in gas pumps are responsible for spreading the virus that causes AIDS.The Sheriff’s Office has received more than 1,000 phone calls and e-mails from people around the country trying to confirm the information.

The e-mail, titled “A dangerous prank going around,” is purported to be from a “Capt. Abraham Sands” with the “Jacksonville Police Department.”The Sheriff’s Office has never had a Capt. Abraham Sands and has no idea where the message originated. Also, there have been no reports of needles hidden in gas pumps, said John Turner, spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office. And the Jacksonville Police Department ceased to exist in 1968 when it was merged with the Sheriff’s Office as part of consolidation.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have no reported cases of AIDS from needle-stick injury to anyone outside the health care field.

People are also calling the Jacksonville Police and Fire Pension Fund, whose small staff answered about 200 phone calls on Tuesday alone. Because police is part of the fund’s name, people from as far away as California are calling, assuming it is part of the police department in Jacksonville.

The Sheriff’s Office intelligence unit also has looked into the Internet message to see if anything could be done to stop the rumor. The message is a nuisance but not illegal, Turner said.

“We live in a world now where crazy things happen and people want some assurance,” said spokesman Harry Reagan.