Abu Dhabi police sought to play down fears among consumers on Monday that a killer perfume was on the loose after a rumor was spread by text message to mobile phones. The text messages claimed that in four days 18 people had died after using the unnamed perfume and that another 35 had been admitted to intensive care in hospitals in Abu Dhabi. The text messages also urged the receivers to spread send warnings to the people they know as quickly as possible to rescue as much people as possible.
Abu Dhabi Police completely denied the rumors and said that the only aim of the whole issue is accomplishing commercial benefits.
Abu Dhabi Police Chief Colonel Maktoum Sharifi formally denied the rumor about the wares being pushed by wandering perfume sellers. Sharifi said the rumors were "without substance," and did not rule out differences between perfume sellers as being behind the malodorous campaign.