ABSTRACT
The following crises are probably the most frequent to strike product manufacturers or
retailers and restaurants. They are crises started by consumers with plans of extorting
money from the companies. The hoaxes are built on the realization that many companies
will pay large settlements to avoid costly litigation. In most of these cases, hoaxsters
charge that there is something dangerous or harmful about a product, but rarely do they
report it to law enforcement. More often than not, it is reported to the news media or to
management directly. They would like to avoid law enforcement agencies, probably
because they know they are the ones breaking the laws.
