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MohRokTah

(15,429 posts)
Mon Jun 23, 2014, 10:25 PM Jun 2014

Report: Story of girl getting tossed from KFC hoax

Report: Story of girl getting tossed from KFC hoax

The report of a Jackson KFC accused of asking a 3-year-old girl to leave because of facial scars was a hoax, according to the Laurel Leader-Call.

The story of Victoria Wilcher, who was disfigured by dog attack, being asked to leave a KFC Jackson because her appearance was scaring other customers was a story generated out of whole cloth and resulted in the family receiving more than $135,000 in cash, as well as gifts and free surgeries, sources with deep knowledge of the investigation said exclusively to the Laurel Leader-Call.

The sources spoke on the condition of strict anonymity because they were not permitted to speak on the record.

A third-party mediator has been brought in on the case and he has been investigating the claims. No one with KFC, including Jackson franchise owner Kirk Hannon, would comment on the investigation until it is completed but they did release the following statement on Friday.

...


Link to source

I have to admit it, I was caught by the hoax.
42 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Report: Story of girl getting tossed from KFC hoax (Original Post) MohRokTah Jun 2014 OP
I'm glad KFC investigated Skittles Jun 2014 #1
Me too. Rex Jun 2014 #32
Big surprise. LisaL Jun 2014 #2
Shocker. nt onehandle Jun 2014 #3
What a horrific and sick hoax! n/t RKP5637 Jun 2014 #4
stupid parents JI7 Jun 2014 #5
Grandma is the one who claimed they were thrown out of KFC, not the parents. LisaL Jun 2014 #6
You have to wonder The Velveteen Ocelot Jun 2014 #7
They did get away with it exboyfil Jun 2014 #24
Not surprising. The story was for the most part unbelievable as reported. BillZBubb Jun 2014 #8
And per the article, KFC originally blamed is actually closed. LisaL Jun 2014 #9
Hoax are you kidding Livluvgrow Jun 2014 #10
I was not always cynical, but... 3catwoman3 Jun 2014 #11
Yep, these and the waitresses receiving nasty comments on credit card receipts flygal Jun 2014 #13
And every freaking time somebody makes an accusation public just eats it up and LisaL Jun 2014 #17
I never give to anyone on the side of the road either bigwillq Jun 2014 #42
I found the story suspicious. madaboutharry Jun 2014 #12
I was fooled, but I showed this story to my brother and he called bullshit immediately Cali_Democrat Jun 2014 #14
That little girl's mother was on MSNBC grifting big time, then. I saw her on Tamron's ChisolmTrailDem Jun 2014 #15
Any "news" organization should be ashamed for going with this story without any proof. cui bono Jun 2014 #16
News organizations? LisaL Jun 2014 #18
I got fooled too. I just hope all 100% of the money donated actually goes to the Little Girl. Mrdrboi Jun 2014 #19
I think they may have been trying to generate some sympathy but.... davidn3600 Jun 2014 #20
it was about money, once they raised a certain amount they raised the goal to a higher amount JI7 Jun 2014 #21
My faith in humanity is simultaneously restored and diminished. Warren DeMontague Jun 2014 #22
I hope no one is blaming the little girl after all of this. Quantess Jun 2014 #23
The dog owner was GRAMPA, the KFC accuser was GRANDMA. MADem Jun 2014 #29
Add to that, nobody has blamed the child. LisaL Jun 2014 #35
I pity that kid. MADem Jun 2014 #38
My FB friends frequently get upset when I call bullshit on these kinds of stories. Atman Jun 2014 #25
Not surprised. magical thyme Jun 2014 #26
I gotta wonder, will they same people who took to 'the facebook' and 'the twitter' to rip KFC a new MADem Jun 2014 #27
I got sucked in by this one JustAnotherGen Jun 2014 #30
I remember that one--and that server screwed some really nice and decent people with those MADem Jun 2014 #33
"that server screwed some really nice and decent people with those" JustAnotherGen Jun 2014 #36
I'm glad the restaurant survived and the customers stayed loyal. MADem Jun 2014 #39
I heard that it wasn't even real chicken. Orrex Jun 2014 #28
It wasn't, but pipi_k Jun 2014 #40
that's why these Niceguy1 Jun 2014 #31
and that's why pipi_k Jun 2014 #34
The employees have been harassed since this bullshit story went viral IronLionZion Jun 2014 #37
While this story is a hoax I do know this has happened ChazII Jun 2014 #41
 

Rex

(65,616 posts)
32. Me too.
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 09:28 AM
Jun 2014

I hope the little girl can get whatever surgery is necessary to help her with her scars. Nobody should be that young and self-conscious.

LisaL

(44,961 posts)
6. Grandma is the one who claimed they were thrown out of KFC, not the parents.
Mon Jun 23, 2014, 10:37 PM
Jun 2014

That story never made any sense to me. Considering the child doesn't look scary, it was hard to believe someone would be stupid enough to complain, and find employee dumb enough to ask this child to leave. Like the article says, the possible KFCs are located close to the hospital (and one of them is actually closed), so they are used to people with all kinds of issues, much worse than this little girl's.

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,067 posts)
7. You have to wonder
Mon Jun 23, 2014, 10:40 PM
Jun 2014

why people think they can get away with these kinds of hoaxes when there are security cameras almost everywhere, not to mention witnesses. You put something like this on Facebook, pretty soon there's a big controversy, then there's an investigation and inevitably the truth comes out. Meantime, completely innocent KFC employees have been harassed and threatened by ignorant bozos and generous people have been cheated. I hope the child gets the care she needs, but her family needs a butt-kicking if this is proved to be a hoax.

exboyfil

(17,853 posts)
24. They did get away with it
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 08:00 AM
Jun 2014

To the tune of at least $130K. That is why I think KFC immediately pledging the money was probably the incorrect move. Now every shake down artist has a precedence in their behavior. On the flip side if the money does directly go to helping the girl, then they still have a PR windfall. She can't be held responsible for the many irresponsible adults in her life (first the family member who owned the dogs, then the family member who place her in jeopardy, and finally the grandmother that turned her injury into a spectacle).

BillZBubb

(10,650 posts)
8. Not surprising. The story was for the most part unbelievable as reported.
Mon Jun 23, 2014, 10:43 PM
Jun 2014

First, you had to have a really callous customer complaining that they were "scared" of a poor little girl. Not likely. Then you had to have someone in the restaurant with without a bit of common sense foolish enough to go demand the child leave. Sure, one of those is possible, but having two sub-humans come together at just the right time is too much to believe.

The parents, or whoever started the hoax deserves to be sued by KFC. Of course, KFC won't sue them.

LisaL

(44,961 posts)
9. And per the article, KFC originally blamed is actually closed.
Mon Jun 23, 2014, 10:44 PM
Jun 2014

So, if it's closed, it sure as hell couldn't have happened there.

Livluvgrow

(377 posts)
10. Hoax are you kidding
Mon Jun 23, 2014, 10:53 PM
Jun 2014

that is no hoax that is fraud. How could they use that childs trauma for fraud? That is sick. A hoax is a trick haha funny and there isn't anything funny here. Charges? Restitution?

3catwoman3

(23,746 posts)
11. I was not always cynical, but...
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 12:06 AM
Jun 2014

...am becoming more so as I accumulate the decades because of stories such as this. I admit to being taken in by this tale.

I never donate to people who stand at traffic intersections claiming to be collecting for someone with health care needs because I do not believe them.

flygal

(3,231 posts)
13. Yep, these and the waitresses receiving nasty comments on credit card receipts
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 12:35 AM
Jun 2014

I had red flags on this story too because I've seen much worse at McDonalds and no way they would be asked to leave.

LisaL

(44,961 posts)
17. And every freaking time somebody makes an accusation public just eats it up and
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 02:11 AM
Jun 2014

becomes outraged.
People never learn.

madaboutharry

(40,137 posts)
12. I found the story suspicious.
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 12:29 AM
Jun 2014

I didn't think it credible that someone would complain about this little girl. I agree with the comment above that this is more fraud than a hoax. Poor girl had this trauma but also has a very creepy family.

 

Cali_Democrat

(30,439 posts)
14. I was fooled, but I showed this story to my brother and he called bullshit immediately
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 12:36 AM
Jun 2014

He's got a good bullshit detector.

 

ChisolmTrailDem

(9,463 posts)
15. That little girl's mother was on MSNBC grifting big time, then. I saw her on Tamron's
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 12:46 AM
Jun 2014

show, I think. One of those morning one's after that intern murderer goes off.

cui bono

(19,926 posts)
16. Any "news" organization should be ashamed for going with this story without any proof.
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 01:20 AM
Jun 2014

Such lazy reporting these days, it's just stenography now.

LisaL

(44,961 posts)
18. News organizations?
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 02:16 AM
Jun 2014

What about the public?
They don't need any proof. Just an allegation is good enough.

Mrdrboi

(110 posts)
19. I got fooled too. I just hope all 100% of the money donated actually goes to the Little Girl.
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 02:27 AM
Jun 2014

I wonder how many people dident get fooled? I feel bad for the KFC employees for getting the hate to which they dont deserve. Having a bad paying job is enough dont need to be making death threats on these people.

 

davidn3600

(6,342 posts)
20. I think they may have been trying to generate some sympathy but....
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 03:30 AM
Jun 2014

...the lie spread too far and too fast and got out of control.

Potentially they could be charged with a crime here and/or get hit with lawsuits. They better already be talking to a lawyer.

But if this is a hoax, it proves you can't trust headlines. When you only get one side of the story and the media fails to investigate, this is what happens.

Quantess

(27,630 posts)
23. I hope no one is blaming the little girl after all of this.
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 05:36 AM
Jun 2014

Blame the idiot dog owner, blame the dishonest family members who cooked up the hoax, but don't blame the little girl. Besides, she probably needed the surgeries and funds to cover the medical bills. It's not right, but desperate people do desperate things.

MADem

(135,425 posts)
29. The dog owner was GRAMPA, the KFC accuser was GRANDMA.
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 08:25 AM
Jun 2014

Lovely family. I think the kid needs a new living environment. It's not a good thing to be raised by irresponsible grifters.

Atman

(31,464 posts)
25. My FB friends frequently get upset when I call bullshit on these kinds of stories.
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 08:11 AM
Jun 2014

This one didn't pass the smell test. As with most of these kinds of "heart wrenching" stories, they tend to turn out phony, as did this one. But I can't count the number of times I've had friends posts bullshit that was three or four years old as if it was something brand new, or storied like this one, without ever checking up on the facts. It's too easy to just click "share."

 

magical thyme

(14,881 posts)
26. Not surprised.
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 08:13 AM
Jun 2014

Just a little too over the top...people are desperate for money these days. To paraphrase Kunstler, "Anything goes. Nothing matters."

MADem

(135,425 posts)
27. I gotta wonder, will they same people who took to 'the facebook' and 'the twitter' to rip KFC a new
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 08:23 AM
Jun 2014

asshole with "I'll never buy your product again!!!! WAAAH!!! Popeye's for MEEEE! So THERE!! You are AWFUL! HORRIBLE!!! You're the UGLY ONES!!!!" and who singled out that franchise for their particular excoriation come BACK to their keyboards and say "I'm sorry for the things I said, KFC, I wish I'd waited to get the full story before I rushed to judgment..."

I'll bet they don't.

And shame on granny, for being a weird-ass bullshitter. She needs to get herself some HELP. She also needs to give back ALL THE MONEY she bilked, and she probably needs to go to jail for a little bit, too--people need to understand that this kind of shit is NOT OK.


More than $135,000 has been raised through an online donation site, gofundme.com, since June 13.

The fund was created by Bates on April 28. The funding before the chicken caper came from seven donors for a total of $595.

On May 20, Victoria's Victories posted: "Victoria's family is really struggling with the insurance company. Currently <DP>the(y) are not paying for the formula that goes into her feeding pump. If you can donate please do. They need your help."

No donations were given after that post until June 13, when the KFC incident went viral.

The fund collected 46 donations on June 13. On June 14, 164 people donated.

On June 15, 709 people donated and on June 16, when the firestorm had reached its zenith, 1,085 people donated. From June 17 to noon June 21, 855 more people had donated to the fund.

Of those donations, $30,000 of it came from KFC for help with medical bills suffered when Victoria was attacked by three pit bulls at her grandfather's Simpson County trailer.


http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2014/06/23/girl-tossed-from-kfc-hoax/11284405/

MADem

(135,425 posts)
33. I remember that one--and that server screwed some really nice and decent people with those
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 09:28 AM
Jun 2014

accusations.

There have been some beauts down the years. The one thing that binds the hoaxers together is a complete lack of care as to how their lies and misrepresentations affect other people.

It sucks to be falsely accused. It sucks to be painted as a hater or a bigot. That's the part that isn't really dealt with too much with these stories. It's always about the perpetrator of the hoax, how they must be mentally ill, how they should have to give back the money, blah, blah, blah. I think if we had less tolerance for people shopping these hoaxes, and made them do some real time in the county jail, maybe pay a fine, and be held up to public scorn, more sympathy/empathy for those who are wrongly characterized as assholes, this kind of thing would stop.

People do it out of greed and a need for drama, they regard the business (restaurant, KFC franchise) as a "corporate entity" when in actual fact it's some schmuck who is the owner/franchisee who is getting screwed and having their reputation dragged through the mud. It can ruin people. And where do they go to get their reputations back, even after they are exonerated (to riff on the famous comment of the perhaps not-entirely-savory Raymond Donovan!). It was a great quote, in any event!

JustAnotherGen

(31,631 posts)
36. "that server screwed some really nice and decent people with those"
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 09:59 AM
Jun 2014

My husband and me - included -with a very nice tip.

And - it turns out the couple in that situation - very very much like my husband and me. Pro the right to be recognized as full American citizens with all the rights that entails for the GLBT community.

I'll still eat at Gallop though - the food is really wonderful!

MADem

(135,425 posts)
39. I'm glad the restaurant survived and the customers stayed loyal.
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 10:26 AM
Jun 2014

When ya finally get a neighborhood joint that is GOOD, ya hate to see them close. I still miss the little restaurant lounge within walking distance of my ancestral home--and that thing got torn down forty some odd years ago!!!!

Niceguy1

(2,467 posts)
31. that's why these
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 09:21 AM
Jun 2014

Stories should not be believed until further evidence is presented. This is hardly the first time du has been fooled and the retractions are never as loud as the initial outcry

pipi_k

(21,020 posts)
34. and that's why
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 09:52 AM
Jun 2014

I'm such a freaking cynic when it comes to people posting in foaming outrage here over some horror story or another.

anyone suspecting that there might be something more to the story other than what it says (always from the victim's POV) is accused of being...well...someone pretty nasty.

And yeah, once the whole story comes out, there's hardly ever an apology or retractions. And the really sad thing? The gullible keep getting fooled, time and time again.

Don't wait for further evidence...nooooo!!! Just jump right in there with the outrage because, damn, doesn't it feel great to be a champion for the Victims of the world, even if there's no real proof they're even victims at all.

IronLionZion

(45,162 posts)
37. The employees have been harassed since this bullshit story went viral
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 10:16 AM
Jun 2014
After it went viral, employees and managers at both Jackson locations have faced death threats, have had drinks thrown at them through the drive-thru window and have faced constant verbal harassment, the source confirmed.


As if working in fast food wasn't punishment enough.

I think both of this girl's grandparents need to be locked up or punished somehow. Little Victoria deserves a better family than these assholes.

ChazII

(6,198 posts)
41. While this story is a hoax I do know this has happened
Tue Jun 24, 2014, 11:26 AM
Jun 2014

to several of those in my neurofibromatosis family. It is sad what this grandmother did and as others have already stated makes it difficult for those who have a legitimate case.

For those who think her face is not scary, bravo to you for your open mind. However, this happened to my son back when he was seven.

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