Don't Pick Up the Phone

I've a had a lot of people tell me I'm too harsh on the people who fell for this scam...then they go on to say that "I would have fallen for it ...being intimidated by a cop on the phone."

Half-right: I may have started out believing it, but as soon as they started a strip search I would have said "get down here and do it yourself."

It's a very well done documentary, and MacDonalds does deserve a huge share of the blame for this, but that Boston cop made a really stupid tactical error (you'll see.)

Either way, very sad that there are people this stupid and this irresponsible and they are largely to blame for this whole sordid affair.

The "I was brought up to respect authority" excuse doesn't work here, not when the person is on the phone and not a physical threat.

The final verdict of the perp was a fitting way to tell the people of this country: smarten up, morons or else worse will happen.

Hard to watch if you are an intelligent, educated person, because you can't believe anyone could be so stupid as to believe they have the authority to strip search a fast food employee EVER under ANY circumstances unless they are cops. But these - uneducated, credulous, fearful - are precisely the "right" people to target if you want to scare them into heinous acts. Show is VERY slow paced, as these shows always are, stretching a one hour show into three hours. You have to give the culprit credit for his cunning, although you also have to realize what a pathetic worm he is that THIS is the way he has to get his kicks. Moral? We need to - NEED TO - educate our populace better. We need to value education in this country.

A bit of a tough watch, but well worth seeing all the same. Two things that stuck me with this horrible saga is, apart from the terrible situation the employees found themselves in, the police who investigated the guy, arrested him with rather weak evidence that certainly was not 'beyond reasonable doubt'. We could see that as soon as they arrested him, it would be a long shot. They should have identified him and followed him to ensure that his purchase of phone cards was not just a coincidence with the call times.

The second thing that strikes me is the total obedience to authority figures that Americans seem to have (maybe this id due to the amount of police shootings there are?). Granted it's a cultural thing, but no way in hell in my country, would a manager (male or female) strip search a young female (in the back office) because a 'policeman' on the phone tells them too!

Literally unbelievable. Just feel for the young ladies caught up in this.

This is a documentary about a con man who impersonated a cop calling fast food restaurants and convincing the manager on duty that a female in the restaurant had stolen money from another customer. The caller then convinced the manager to take the woman into the back room and have her remove her clothing and conduct various weird or perverted acts in the name of justice.

Tough to know where to begin. It's hard to believe this happened - but I vaguely remember hearing about it on the news. The perpetrator has to be a sick, despicable individual. Those who were fooled are utterly stupid and/or brainwashed people who revere authority over humanity.

I agree completely with other reviewers who've say this is a horrible crime, the crime itself it not at the top of my list. What was more troubling, and should concern us all is that our society has reached the point where such a thing can happen over and over again. It's not so much a case of a random bunch of stupid people taken in by a criminal. More accurately it signals our complete separation from reality and our need to be told what to do. I found watching this was sickening, as it comes with the realization that we are at the mercy of the sharks that rule us. The story told here shows what has resulted from the measures they've taken to ensure we follow blindly and thank them for their guidance.

This story happened from the mid-90s to 2011 and was basically the canary, dead in the coal mine.

Thanks to our government and it's manipulation of the educational system and mass media, critical thinking is obsolete. The old phrase QUESTION AUTHORITY is meaningless to generations X,Y and Z. We stand at the crosswalks and wait to be told to cross the street in the brave new world and perverts like David Stewart can tell people he's a cop and they turn into mindless, compliant zombies who will torture innocent people on command.

Why is it we're conditioned not to question cops when they're supposed to be public servants? And for that matter why are all cops now looking like they're equipped for combat duty? This is a reflection of the type of society we've become and if you're in your right mind, it should make you sick.

I've noticed that many reviewers pour all their emotions into the sick sadsack that committed the crime and the stupid people who followed his orders. While that is deplorable, the large issue here is our future.

This documentary is effectively a case study that exposes this sociuety's sickness. Yes, it's worth watching.

I hate to admit that when I first heard this story in passing years ago I found the unbelievable gullibility hilarious. I didn't know all the details and hadn't heard the human stories.

This sick, twisted person preyed upon people's respect for authority (which shouldn't be a bad thing) as well as their desire to help and prove their honesty.

I am a pretty cynical person and I went in thinking I would end up laughing at these people. It truly isn't funny.

The perpetrator should spend the rest of his life doing serious hard time. A prank isn't funny unless no one is hurt. I can't believe McDonald's didn't do more to warn managers and employees. That defense attorney is almost as bad as the perpetrator.

Kudos to the dedicated cops determined to crack this case.