However, even the more questionable reports do not claim that a victim can be drugged simply by touching something with burundanga on it. Thus, while people, especially those travelling in South America, should be aware of the potential use of burundanga as an aid to criminal activities, there is nevertheless no evidence whatsoever to support the claims in this warning message. According to the email, just handling a card that has been treated with the drug is enough to incapacitate the victim and allow criminals to commit rape or robbery. ‘No Harm Done?’ Think Again! Burundanga is a real drug and reports indicate that it has indeed been used to facilitate crimes, especially in the South American nation of Colombia. You can help Hoax-Slayer stay online by making a small donation. Scopolamine, also known as Devil’s Breath, is an odorless drug that can leave someone inhaling it defenseless to refuse commands. What Is Facebook Cloning And How Can I Protect Myself From It? Sign up to get the best in wellness, relationships, royals, food and more on Wednesdays and Sundays. Ad There are no credible reports to support the claims in the warning. They would wake up the next morning with their bank account drained, their belongings (or organs) gone, or much, much worse — and that’s it; that’s all they remember.It’s the kind of story that feels so pat, so simple, so instructive that our reflex i… Burundanga is a real drug and reports indicate that it has indeed been used to facilitate crimes, especially in the South American nation of Colombia. Another victim recalls being "out of control. There may be one rather nasty drawback for those bent on amassing a zombie army -- sporadic bouts of unchecked aggression in the target. Welcome to Old Architecture! The drug is called scopolamine, but is colloquially known as ‘The Devil’s Breath,' and is derived from a particular type of tree common to South America. This generic quality is often a characteristic of hoaxes and urban legends since too much detail means that such stories can be too easily debunked. Read More, Hoax-Slayer is part of a business that trades under the name Brett Christensen and has the Australian Business Number (ABN) 12 992 424 947 ABN Lookup. Hoax-Slayer is now ad-free! According to a 1995 Wall Street Journal article, about half of all emergency room admissions in Bogota, Colombia were for burundanga poisoning. Burundanga is extremely toxic and should be used in very small doses. The absence of such basic details in the warning makes it difficult or impossible to verify. – 4 Reasons Why Participating In Bogus Facebook Giveaways Is NOT Harmless, How to Automatically Monitor the Web for Topics That Interest You, ‘I Need a Quick Favour’ Gift Card Scam Emails. Dude on your couch eating Cap'n Crunch in your pajamas, casting devious stares in your direction? Allegedly causes you to lose your ability to say 'no', the drug can be added to drinks or food. Among the victims? All Right Reserved. When used by injection, effects begin after about 20 minutes and last for up to 8 hours. She tried to open the window and realized that the odor was on her hand; the same hand which accepted the card from the gentleman at the gas station. This drug is four times more dangerous than the date rape drug and is transferable on simple cards. Here a man demonstrates how it is blown into the air. The alleged victim is simply referred to as “a female” and the message gives no hint as to the location where the incident supposedly occurred. South Africa wants to return the one million Covid-19 vaccine doses it has received from Serum Institute of India, The Economic Times reported on Tuesday, a … ©2021 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. That said, the primary purpose of this article is to discuss the veracity of the particular warning included above. cPanel ‘Limited Email Storage Remaining’ Phishing Scam, DHL ‘Your Parcel Has Arrived’ Phishing Scam, Global Marine Drilling Iceberg Photo Hoax. At some point, the victim claims she wasn't sure whether she was even married or had children. This medicine is FDA maternity group C, meanings it could be dangerous to an unborn baby. Most probably not. Scopolamine is also present in Jimson Weed (Datura stramonium), a plant found in most of the continental U.S. And wouldn't you know it -- this street drug is available in prescription form, too. Why Do Otherwise Smart People Fall For Obvious Scams and Hoaxes? January 27, 2021, 11:53 AM EST Updated on January 28, 2021, 8:42 AM EST 3:07. Victims have allegedly been sexually assaulted, robbed, and callously manipulated while under burundanga’s spell. Research provides no evidence that such an incident occurred in Katy or anywhere else in Texas. Claims that the drug can be effective if passed through a handshake, a laced piece of paper, a business card, or blown-in your face have yet to be supported by science. An overdose of this drug can lead to delirium, seizures, paralysis and even death. Colombian locals will spin tales of submissive victims who willingly hand over their wallets and PINs, or visit the bank with their captors and withdrawing huge sums of cash or take the thieves to their home and casually help them load all their possessions into a truck. It's like they're a child.". South Africa Allows Use of Parasite Drug in Covid Patients By . Another way to enter the body is through the airways, for example, to inhale contaminated cigarette. Scopolamine does, however, have many legitimate uses -- from NASA using it to combat motion sickness to an aid in staving off depression. “Burundanga Tree is a symbol of Columbia … very beautiful and very dangerous” Date: July 10, 2013 Author: journeyman 1 Comment It seems like everywhere, addicts in lands once considered only “exotic” have segments of their population decrying use of, “The Most Dangerous Drug In The World.” There are unsubstantiated stories that claim that criminals have drugged victims by blowing burundanga into their faces as they unfold a piece of paper that has previously been powdered with the drug. Treatment of drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis (DR-TB) in South Africa has been transformed over the last decade. In the Vice documentary, a Bogota drug dealer describes how Scopolamine can be blown in someone's face -- and, just minutes later, 'you can guide them wherever you want. A later social media-driven variant includes a picture of a young woman who has supposedly succumbed to Burundanga after taking one of the laced business cards. No confirmed reports of the drug being used in South Africa could be found. And then there's the simplicity with which it can be administered. Last month, El Mundo reported on four women who fell prey to the Devil's Breath in isolated incidents -- each case was marked by the use of paper sheets, apparently, doused with an alkaloid from the plant. Custom officials at South Africa’s main international airport have seized hundreds of thousands of tablets of a drug some people claim could be … Or, at least, that's the diabolical scenario health experts are warning about amid the apparent surge in popularity of a drug called scopolamine. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/burundangascopolamine-warning Some stories relate how hapless travellers in South America are unknowingly given burundanga and “wake up” hours or days later with no idea what transpired while they were under the drug’s influence. The image shows a young fan who fainted among a large crowd while waiting to catch a glimpse of the Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan. The image used in the message is stolen from an unrelated news source and depicts a young fan who fainted while waiting to see a Bollywood celebrity. Subject: Be Alert & Cautious / Must read!! ... ayahuasca is an infusion of several plants that have been used for centuries by South America's Indigenous people for healing purposes. Hoax-Slayer is owned and operated by Brett Christensen. Hoax-Slayer debunks email and social media hoaxes, thwarts Internet scammers, combats spam, and educates web users about email, social media, and Internet security issues. Have the sneaking suspicion you spent the evening in a zombie-like state shuffling from bank machine to bank machine at the behest of South American crime lords? Other reports suggest that burundanga is more commonly administered by adding it to the unwary victim’s food or drink. However, doctors claim that the amount of drug passed through such mechanism is too small for the drug to be effective. A man came over and offered his services as a painter to a female who was putting gas in her car and left his card. A word of warning ! Criminals in Colombia have been known to put the drug into food, gum, or drinks of people who, it is said, can go into a trance-like state in which they appear to be conscious but are powerless to resist orders. “They go out to party and then wake up two or three days later on a park bench,” Maria Fernanda Villota, a nurse at San Jose University Hospital in Bogota, told GlobalPost. Secondly, the message claims that the woman became suspicious after smelling the odour of the drug on her hand. Almost immediately, she started to feel dizzy and could not catch her breath. In reality, it seems vastly improbable that this method of administering the drug would be in any way viable. She said no, but accepted his card out of kindness and got in the car. Various reports claim that victims under the influence of the substance can be controlled at will by the criminals who administer it. Any of three plants in the Solanaceae family can produce it -- and all of them grow freely throughout much of South America. It’s also called Devil’s Breath, scopolamine or simply “the zombie drug.” It has been used in the medical community to prevent vomiting and motion sickness, but it has become known as “the world’s scariest drug” in the underworld drug trade.