History Main / HaveYouToldAnyoneElse

* ''Film/ToBeOrNotToBe''" When the Resistance fighters and actors disguised as Nazis prepare to kill a traitor, they subtly inquire about whether he's made a copy of the list of underground agents and families of Polish fighter pilots he's preparing to turn over. Unfortunately, he has, leading to a scramble to retrieve ''that.''

* Happens from time to time in ''Literature/DirkPittAdventures''. One of the worst examples is in ''Flood Tide''. [[BigBad Qin Shang]]'s first scene has his contact in the Chinese government, Yin Tsang, who tries to force him out of the government sponsored smuggling and replace him with a competitor that Yin has cut a deal with. Yin (who knows fully well that Qin Shang is an immensely proud and greedy man who has ordered thousands of murders) proves himself to be stupid as well as greedy when his suspicions aren't raised by Qin Shang asking "Who else have you discussed my expulsion with ?" And then proves himself to be even stupider by taking a sip of tea offered to him after saying that he's only talked it over with the rival shipping tycoon. A couple pages later newspaper headlines reveal Qin Shang's competitor was killed in a mysterious hit and run, while Yin Tsang died of mysterious heart failure. Notably, later in the book when Yin Tsang's successor does succeed in gig Qin Shang the boot he makes it clear that his plans have been discussed with numerous other government officials before Qin Shang even asks.

* ''Literature/MurderByTheBook'': The second victim, Joan Wellman, works for a publishing company and reads a WriteWhoYouKnow book efore sending it back with a rejection. She receives a message from the supposed author (actually his murderer) saying he wants to revise the book and will pay Joan and anyone else who's read it for input and advice. Joan ends up dead very soon after telling him that she's the only one who read the book. Interestingly, she mentions the book's existence (although not its contents) in a letter to her parents specifically ''because'' his questions reminded her of it.

* ''Literature/TheExecutioner'': ''Skinwalker'' features a non-fatal occurrence of the question being asked by a supporting protagonist. The body of an environmentalist is found with his throat torn out, surrounded by the prints of a wolf that walked on two legs. The first cop on the scene figures out that it's probably a ScoobyDooHoax being conducted by the oil company to frighten their enemies. He asks the man who found the body if he told anyone else about the tracks. After the witness says he didn't, the cop swears him to secrecy and wipes away all of the tracks in an effort to keep the murder from accomplishing its goal. The cop ends up being the second victim a few chapters later.

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0830.html #830]], [[CoDragons Tsukiko tells Redcloak]] that she's figured out that he's been deceiving [[BigBad Xykon]]- the ritual to 'control' the [[EldritchAbomination Snarl]] won't have the effect Xykon expects - then boasts about how she'll use that information to ruin him. Redcloak (who, as a 17th level evil cleric, can automatically Command any Undead with 9 HD or less, such as Tsukiko's personal bodyguard of wights) promptly orders Tsukiko's undead thralls to seize her, devour her [[LifeEnergy life force]], then eat her corpse to prevent any chance of her being magically resurrected. Then eat each other. [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill Then for the last one to set itself on fire. In the fireplace, please.]]
-->'''Redcloak:''' Because, let's be clear: if I have tolerated your humiliating attempts to undercut my authority before, it was only because killing you would've upset the delicate puppet strings upon which "Lord Xykon" unknowingly dances. But if you're going to stand there and tell me that you'll expose one of those strings to him? If you're going to be THAT stupid? There can be only one rational response to ''that''.

** An earlier Superman story featured a D.E.O. agent who was horrified by the realisation the organisation had plans in place to [[CapeBusters kill the heroes]] if necessary, and turned to the best known philanthropist he could think of. Yeah, [[ComicBook/LexLuthor him agai]]...

* ''Series/{{Neighbours}}''. Shortly before he was due to leave on a holiday, Connor learned that the missing 'Robert' (who is really Cameron) is in a coma at a nursing home. He immediately went to tell Robert's identical triplet 'Cameron' (who is really [[EvilTwin Robert]]) the good news. This was the last time he ever appeared on the show, and Robert was later seen driving Connor's car and digging up the front garden. In what is either a genuine subversion or a {{Retcon}}, Connor was later 'proven' to be alive and well, first when police found his wallet in China, and later when he apparently sent Toadie and others gifts for St. Patrick's Day, also from China.

It also sometimes happens that the informant is savvy enough to take their discovery straight to the legal authorities -- only to find out too late that [[TheBadGuysAreCops the cops are in league with the bad guys]]. If you suspect foul play, the best bet is usually to send the information to as many outlets as you can think of — even [[CantStopTheSignal if you are killed, the information will still get out]].

No, they proudly(!) admit that they told Nialliv first, sometimes even adding, "I'm not stupid." For the one who noticed the hole in his EvilPlan, they aren't too bright, are they? Reasons for telling only Nialliv tend to be something positive, like shaky proof, or information that might cause a panic/riots/mob violence targeting innocent people — maybe even [[VillainousDemotivator misplaced]] [[EvilVirtues loyalty]] to a BadBoss. If only Nialliv weren't on TheDarkSide…

Sometimes phrased as "Does anyone else know about this?" or "Have you discussed this with anyone else?" The key words are always "anyone else." Occasionally one gets "Have you told [specific other person] yet?", where the other person is someone with the power to do something about it -- the boss, the king, the Slayer, whatever. Of course, anyone else they told could tell the specific other person, but it may be phrased this way as an opening for the doomed conversationalist to dutifully respond, "No, I haven't told anybody…"

* One story in the Creator/HarryTurtledove anthology collection ''Kaleidoscope'' has a time traveler ask two people who learned her secret who else knows they were investigating her. They reply that only two other people do and she relaxes, having (probably) never intended to kill them if they hadn’t told anyone but being afraid they may have tipped off the FBI to arrest her.
* Creator/PaoloBacigalupi's ''Literature/TheWindupGirl'': When a thirteen year-old girl discovers that two workers have become sick with a possible pandemic, the factory owner contemplates killing her to maintain the secret after asking this question. Instead he packs all three off to the hospital.
* Creator/RobinCook's ''{{Literature/Coma}}'': Medical student Susan has just discovered the reason behind the slew of operating room deaths -- the patients are being poisoned with carbon monoxide, rendering them brain-dead and [[ArtisticLicenseBiology their organs available for sale]] on the black market. She goes running to the chief of surgery to tell him. Sure enough, [[BigBad HE's]] the one running the scam. Susan herself nearly ends up a victim, but fortunately for her she ''did'' confide her suspicions to her boyfriend, who's able to intervene and save her life.
* In Creator/FreemanWillsCrofts' ''The Pit Prop Syndicate'', the protagonist is caught by one of the members of the syndicate, and asked this question. He quickly invents an account of having left a letter with his bank manager, which will be sent to Scotland Yard if he should not return safely.
* Creator/DickFrancis Inverts this in the endings of ''For Kicks'' and ''Proof'', where the respective narrator and {{Deuteragonist}} are caught by the villains. Without being prompted, each man truthfully claims that other people know where he is and who he suspects. Both times, the villains think that it's just a self-preserving lie.
* Creator/FrederickForsyth's novel ''Literature/TheDayOfTheJackal'':
** The forger providing the Jackal's false papers tries to [[MuggingTheMonster blackmail him]], fatally assuming the assassin is merely an upper class dilettante dabbling in the drug trade. The Jackal skillfully asks a number of questions (disguised as an attempt to wriggle out of the situation, or ensure that he won't have to pay another bribe to an associate) which establish that the forger hasn't given his photographs to anyone else and that no-one will come to this location and find his body for some time.
** Defied with the gunsmith, who ''has'' hidden incriminating evidence in an easy-to-find fashion in case any of his customers decide to do anything funny. The Jackal leaves him be, while also making it clear that if he does so, that evidence better ''remain'' planted or else.

* Creator/MichaelInnes's "Literature/TheSecretVanguard": The protagonist, who has stumbled across a Nazi spy ring, is telling her story to the local police commissioner when he asks her if she's told anyone else. She spots the significance at once: he isn't the police commissioner at all, and she's been brought to the spies' HQ. She promptly changes her answer to "Yes", and while he's checking out her story, she makes her escape. By stealing a motorboat, no less.

* Creator/DeanKoontz's ''Literature/OddThomas'': In ''Literature/BrotherOdd'', Thomas questions a number of suspects in a ClosedCircle murder case. One of them asks if Odd has told anyone else about a certain piece of evidence, then offers him something to eat. Odd {{Lampshades}} this trope in his narration, then politely declines the food.

* Recorded in Creator/PlinyTheElder's ''Literature/NaturalisHistoria'' and in the ''Satyricon'': In an anecdote OlderThanFeudalism, an inventor demonstrates an "unbreakable" glass for Caesar, at which point the Emperor asked whether anyone else knew how to make it... and being told no, ordered a beheading, because for such a common material to be so awesome [[ArtisticLicenseEconomics would make gold worthless]].
* Creator/TerryPratchett: Comically subverted in the ''{{Literature/Discworld}}'' novel ''Literature/{{Jingo}}''; upon being informed of Vimes's departure to Klatch before Ankh-Morpork's invasion fleet has fully assembled, Rust asks the informer if anyone else knew of it (presumably, hoping to keep the news under wraps so Klatch doesn't attack before Ankh-Morpork launches their fleet), the beggar tells him that nobody else saw it... just several other beggars, who also constitute the city's information network.
* Subverted in Creator/AynRand's ''Literature/WeTheLiving''. When Andrei Taganov confronts Pavel Syerov with proof that Syerov's involved with smugglers, he tells Syerov that the evidence has been photocopied and given to Taganov's trusted friends. Double subverted in that Taganov is lying; not only were there no copies, but Taganov no longer has the original. However, Syerov does not call his bluff.
* Creator/JackVance's ''{{Literature/Emphyrio}}'': When Ghyl, the protagonist, goes to confront Lord Dugald, this is one of the first questions Dugald asks. Ghyl promptly answers that he has -- otherwise, he would not have cared to come.
* Creator/VernorVinge's ''Literature/ZonesOfThought'': In ''Literature/AFireUponTheDeep'', Scriber, a somewhat flaky inventor and self-proclaimed spy, comes up with a method of locating enemy spies in Woodcarver's city. He tells it to spymaster Vendacious, not realizing he's a double-agent and that Scriber's method would expose him. Vendacious congratulates Scriber and asks who else knows about this because "we'll need to swear them to secrecy also". Needless to say, after Scriber's earnest assurance that no-one else knows, death follows rapidly.
* Creator/DavidWeber's ''{{Literature/Safehold}}'' novels:
** ''Literature/OffArmageddonReef'': The villain is confronted about accusations of treason by his father-in-law (who, in his defense, was drunk at the time). The antagonist has no desire to kill his father-in-law, and is trying to convince the man to support him even as he plots to kill everyone ''else'' who suspects him.
** In ''Literature/HowFirmAFoundation'', Urvyn Mahndrayn takes a detour from a business trip to inform [[spoiler:his cousin Trai Sahlavahn, who runs the Hairatha powder mill,]] about some discrepancies in the shipping manifests for kegs of gunpowder delivered for the mill. Unfortunately, [[spoiler:Sahlavan]] is the traitor who was diverting the gunpowder shipments. He asks Mahndrayn who else he's told, and Mahndrayn says that he wanted to check with [[spoiler:Sahlavan]] before alerting anyone else. It doesn't end well.

!!!'''Works:'''
* ''Literature/SixteenThirtyTwo'''s ''Literature/AHolmesForTheCzar'': Two detectives investigating a murder are asked this question, not by the murderer, but by a cutthroat bar/brothel owner whose coatroom the murderer had stolen the gun from and who is willing to kill people rather than have her high-paying guests think their valuables aren't safe there. Unfortunately for her, the detectives can honestly say that two other people involved in the investigation do know what they know, and they also quickly realize why she asked them and make it clear that trying to cover up the matter (whether by killing them or not) will have very bad consequences for her.
** ''Two Cases for the Czar,'' has the detective being asked who else knew she planned to go somewhere by [[spoiler: the father of a rape victim who killed her attacker in self-defense]], and as in the first book, she has told someone where she is. This time, however, Miroslava senses that hearing this knowledge will make the man panic and kill her, so she lies that she ''hasn't'' told anyone, but that they will become suspicious if she goes missing. He lets her go after she agrees to leave [[spoiler: his daughter's name]] out of the official solution to the case (a promise she keeps).
* Happens from time to time in ''Literature/DirkPittAdventures''. One of the worst examples is in ''Flood Tide''. [[BigBad Qin Shang]]'s first scene has his contact in the Chinese government, Yin Tsang, who tries to force him out of the government sponsored smuggling and replace him with a competitor that Yin has cut a deal with. Yin (who knows fully well that Qin Shang is an immensely proud and greedy man who has ordered thousands of murders) proves himself to be stupid as well as greedy when his suspicions aren't raised by Qin Shang asking "Who else have you discussed my expulsion with ?" And then proves himself to be even stupider by taking a sip of tea offered to him after saying that he's only talked it over with the rival shipping tycoon. A couple pages later newspaper headlines reveal Qin Shang's competitor was killed in a mysterious hit and run, while Yin Tsang died of mysterious heart failure. Notably, later in the book when Yin Tsang's successor does succeed in gig Qin Shang the boot he makes it clear that his plans have been discussed with numerous other government officials before Qin Shang even asks.
* TheChessmaster in the last ''Literature/EmpireFromTheAshes'' book pulls this off; it helps that the victim is a complete ''idiot'' about it. "I need to ''urgently'' tell the governor about the mole I placed in the terrorist organization, even though nothing's happening right now. This is on a strictly need-to-know basis, so don't tell anyone. Why no, no I ''haven't'' told anyone else. Leave a message? Sure! Here's the datachip with all the information, as well as the codes to decrypt it." (The bad guy in question is [[spoiler:the governor's immediate deputy]], and in fact the victim reports directly to him. Lack of suspicion is unsurprising.)
* ''Literature/TheExecutioner'': ''Skinwalker'' features a non-fatal occurrence of the question being asked by a supporting protagonist. The body of an environmentalist is found with his throat torn out, surrounded by the prints of a wolf that walked on two legs. The first cop on the scene figures out that it's probably a ScoobyDooHoax being conducted by the oil company to frighten their enemies. He asks the man who found the body if he told anyone else about the tracks. After the witness says he didn't, the cop swears him to secrecy and wipes away all of the tracks in an effort to keep the murder from accomplishing its goal. The cop ends up being the second victim a few chapters later.

* ''Literature/FamilySkeletonMysteries'': In the climax of the first book, the villain is preparing to kill Georgia and comments that her discovery of [[spoiler:Sid's identity as Allen Reece]] only matters "if someone else is involved." She knows that this trope is in play, but tells her captor that she ''hasn't'' told her sister or her daughter, as she doesn't want to endanger either of them.
* ''[[Creator/JohnGrisham The Judge's List]]'': The SerialKiller captures an AmateurSleuth and asks her if Lacy, a judicial investigator who's been asking about him, also knows about his killings. His prisoner falsely denies this so he won't go after Lacy, but he's not convinced and leaves to kill her. He fails, and [[BondVillainStupidity when he comes back to finish off his prisoner, he finds that the police have already rescued her.]]
* ''Literature/MoonBaseAlpha'': [[Literature/SpaceCase In the first book]], in the audio recording of Dr. Holtz's last moments, [[spoiler:His companion asks him if the aliens have made contact with anyone else. When Holtz says no, that person makes it clear that he shuns FirstContact and forces Holtz to commit suicide--by threatening his family--in an effort to delay an interplanetary meeting.]]

* ''Series/{{Community}}''

-->''' Kara:''' The United States is in danger, sir.- I came here to warn you. Lex Luthor has allied with the Kaznian government and they are going to attack. And Supergirl didn't attack you. A clone that worked for Lex did. And your Chief of Staff is in collusion with them.\\

''(Baker presses a button under his desk. Someone puts a black bag over Kara's head). Episode ends.)''

** When [[spoiler: [[SealedEvilInACan Lucifer]]]] is freed from captivity in season 11, one of his first acts is to ask the person who freed him (and also has the power to lock him back up) if there's anyone else with these abilities. When he receives no for an answer, he promptly [[NeckSnap snaps said person's neck]].

* ''VideoGame/StarControl Origins'': Heroic example. When the first Scryve comes to the Sol system, he declares that when he tells his superiors where Sol is located, humanity will be doomed. One possible response the player can give is "So what you're saying is you ''haven't'' told your superiors where we are?" After you kill that Scryve, their Empire spends most of the rest of the game wondering where the hell humanity is.
* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedUnity'': Didier Paton, a spy working in Revolutionary France, discovers that the Templars are behind the increasing violence of the Revolution. Unfortunately, when he brings this information to his employer, Maximilian Robespierre (who unbeknownst to Paton is a Templar patsy), Robespierre doesn't bother to ask the question before having Paton slung in jail. Fortunately, the Assassins rescue Paton and recruit him into their ranks.
* In ''VideoGame/KathyRain: Director's Cut'', the titular character discovers that [[spoiler:the mentally disabled Nathan killed her sister Lilly]], upon this is confronted by [[spoiler:their mother, Sue]], who holds her at gunpoint and demands to know who else knows about what she has just found out. Kathy's more flippant and overtly bluffing answer to the question is something to behold:
-->'''Kathy:''' Oh, gee. Well, there is my neighbor, the mailman, the donut girl on the corner... Hm... I'missing someone... Oh, yeah: ''The cops.''
* In the backstory of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsFromZeroAndTrailsToAzure'', Guy Bannings confronted [[spoiler:Arios [=MacClane=]]] about his part in a forming conspiracy (whose actions would be the cornerstone of the plot of both games). As part of his effort to talk the man down into walking away from it, he mentions that he hadn't reported his findings to anyone yet. At which point Guy was promptly shot by [[spoiler:Ian Grimwood]].

* Averted by Creator/FrancisEDec. He was convinced that Gangster Government is after him because he found out the truth, so he started to send the truth out to thousands of random people, figuring that Gangster Computer God can't kill them all.

* Suprisingly subverted in ''WesternAnimation/ToddMcFarlanesSpawn'', where Jason Wynn delivers that line to Terry... but let him leave even though he didn't tell anyone for two reasons: Terry is loyal enough to him to actually not tell anyone for now, and because Wynn isn't 100% certain that Terry has uncovered ''all'' the evidence in question. May as well get it all in one place through a trusted stooge...

* In the first of Creator/RumikoTakahashi's ''Manga/MermaidSaga'' stories (''A Mermaid Never Smiles'') several old women ask Yuta if there's anyone in town who will miss him if he's gone. He says no, and they kill him. This is ''somewhat'' [[SubvertedTrope less dumb than is normal]] for this trope, since it happens at the very start of the story when nothing suspicious has yet happened. Plus, who expects to get killed by little old ladies? And there's the fact that Yuta is immortal, so that might affect his "this could hurt" outlook.

* In ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'', the Prime Minster asks Chief Aramaki who else knows [[spoiler: the General Secretary was behind a massive blackmail case]], and is told that only Section Nine does. [[spoiler: Section Nine is subsequently attacked, but only so they can go into hiding without the conspiracy knowing.]]
* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' has [[spoiler:the resurrected Itachi shocked to learn of Sasuke's plans to destroy the Hidden Leaf Village after he's been told by Madara of the AwfulTruth behind his actions]], so he asks the titular character if everyone in the village knows about this. His response is that Kakashi and Yamato were there beside him, [[spoiler:but because there is no proof of what Madara said, they will have to keep the truth quiet]]. [[spoiler:Itachi]] then instructed him not to tell anyone else about it [[spoiler:for the sake of the Uchiha clan's reputation]].
* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': Had this happen to Roy when he tried to tell one of the top military brass about the GovernmentConspiracy with the Homunculi. Only to find out too late they were all in on it. [[spoiler: Fortunately they left him alive with the threat of harm to his fellow soldiers—but this just allows Roy to rework his plan to take down the corrupt officials.]]
* ''Anime/KabaneriOfTheIronFortress'': After the Shogun is introduced in Episode 11, he ends up talking to his communications officer about [[spoiler:the Fused Colony that destroyed the Great Gate]] which the officer wishes to make public. The Shogun's response is to stab the officer after confirming that no one else knows.

-->"My biggest fear is that my neighbor will knock on my door: 'Daniel, get out here! I just won the lottery! I'm out of here for good!' '...Have you told anybody yet?' 'No, you're the first one!' ...I don't know if you can cremate someone in a gas fireplace, but I'll find out. Feet first, I reckon."

--> '''Bane:''' You said that The Demon scarcely regards you?
--> '''Shuram:''' As I said, I remain out of his sight. I perform my tasks beneath his notice.
--> '''Bane:''' Then he would hardly notice your absence?
--> '''Shuram:''' I suppose that is true. Why would-[[ExplainExplainOhCrap Oh]].
--> ''Cue ShadowDiscretionShot.''
* An early ComicBook/MoonKnight story has an underling giving his boss a full dossier on Moon Knight and his various alternate identies. When the boss asks who else knows all this, the man almost cheerfully replies "me." Smirking "Good," the boss hits a button that literally opens a trap door to send the underling into a waiting pit of alligators.

* A dreamwalker tries to avert this in ''ComicBook/RisingStars'' when he finds out who'd been killing the other Specials. The killer, a Superman proxy, beats the tar out of the much weaker man and asks who else knows. The dreamwalker lies and says that he's told everyone... and is killed for his trouble. Luckily, a Special who could hear the recently deceased was able to get this information to another Special who had been investigating the murders as well.
* A while ago in the Franchise/{{Superman}} books, a specialist for the CIA, using recently acquired alien language translation technology, was able to find out that the markings of a small craft that crash-landed in Kansas 30 years ago were Kryptonian. The man, being without friends or family, reported this to his direct superior, the President of the United States: Lex Luthor. One cut-away later, Lex nonchalantly tells his chauffeur to have maintenance clean up a "spill" on the carpet: a small red glob one can only assume is the man's remains.
* An earlier Superman story featured a D.E.O. agent who was horrified by the realisation the organisation had plans in place to [[CapeBusters kill the heroes]] if necessary, and turned to the best known philanthropist he could think of. Yeah, [[ComicBook/LexLuthor him again...]]
* From ''ComicBook/ExMachina'' [[GrandFinale #50]]: [[ParentalSubstitute Kremlin]], drunk and holding a gun to his own head, threatens to expose the fact that Hundred [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans used his powers to get elected as Mayor of New York]], thus killing his Presidential campaign. At first, Hundred tries to get him to put the gun down, then asks if he's shown the evidence to anyone. When Kremlin reveals he hasn't, Mitchell [[MoralEventHorizon tells the gun to fire.]]
* Warren White in ''ComicBook/ArkhamAsylumLivingHell'' used this trope against an employee who had discovered the accounting irregularities that proved that White had been embezzling funds from his investors. The employee didn't know that White had committed the crime though, and White didn't kill him. Instead, White pinned the crime on him and destroyed the only copy of the numbers, leading to the man killing himself.

* ''ComicBook/FantasticFour:'' In a flashback in Jonathan Hickman's run, the Supreme Intelligence of the Kree is talking with two scientists. As it analyses their proposed project, it starts getting increasingly worried. Once it stops analysing, it asks them if what they're brought is ''all'' their data. The two scientists, being schmucks, say it is, at which point the Supremor tells its Accusers to [[ThePurge get rid of them, and the data, and all the beings they experimented on]].
* ''ComicBook/{{Transformers|2019}}'': During a stand-off between the Autobots and a group of Risers led by Ruckus, Senator Soundwave (who is secretly a high-ranking Rise member) arrives to ostensibly negotiate. He goes into the Rise hideout, promises to arrange an escape route for them, then [[SchmuckBait asks if any of them know anything of value]]. Ruckus is [[TooDumbToLive too stupid to catch the implication and blithely confirms that he does]]. Soundwave then casually makes an excuse to leave, and as soon as he's at a safe distance, he detonates the explosive spear he had snuck in with him, [[HeKnowsTooMuch killing everyone in the bunker to keep their knowledge out of Autobot hands]]. Unlike most examples of this trope, Soundwave was rather obviously trying to hint that Ruckus should say "no" and was visibly disturbed by their deaths afterword.

* ''ComicBook/{{Empyre}}'': A flashback has the Skrull Empress Rk'll asking this of some scientists, as they explain how a Skrull could avoid detection. Said scientist goes no, then very quietly asks ''[[TooDumbToLive why]]'' she's asking. Next panel is Rk'll walking out of the room, now covering with bits of scientist.

* Subverted in the first chapter of ''Fanfic/ShadowchasersConspiracy''. After eagerly accepting an invitation to meet her former boyfriend Philip (who has been missing for five years) at Graceland, Sofia finds the usually crowded tourist spot deserted, and Philip no longer how she remembered him, threatening her with a gun. She has no idea what's going on, but when he asks if she told anyone she was coming, she does say she "told a few people", the narrative specifically saying she had "seen enough movies to know what happened to someone who replied in the negative".

* Subverted in ''Fanfic/StreetSharksRedux'', when the protagonists are forced to use a disk of still-encrypted information they stole from Dr. Paradigm in exchange for Slamu's return. Ripster worries, among other things, that the doctor will think they made copies and not accept, but the matter isn't even brought up. [[spoiler:It's later revealed to have been a moot issue. The doctor set up the information to release a massive virus if it was decrypted, so it didn't matter to him if they ''had'' told anyone else. Furthermore, they had - they dumped the encrypted information on the internet, daring hackers to try to get into it.]]

* In the WWE alternate universe story, ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/14997911/chapters/34760702 The Horsewomen Of Las Vegas]]'', Detective Wrestling/{{Bayley}} Martinez followed the money trail and found some suspicious activity. She checked in with her superior, Lieutenant Tara [[Wrestling/LisaMarieVaron Victoria]], who asked this. It would be revealed a few chapters later that Victoria was a DirtyCop on the payroll of crime boss Wrestling/CharlotteFlair. She tried to get Bayley killed by sending another cop to "aid" her, then [[spoiler: tricked Bayley into shooting and killing her own partner, Wrestling/AlexaBliss]].
* In ''Fanfic/TheSecretReturnOfAlexMack'', Alex and Willow mock this trope while watching ''Series/DoctorWho''. Later, Claire asks Alex this when confronted at a computer conference. Alex mentally lampshades the trope, then replies that ''of course she did.''

* Justified to shocking effect in ''Film/LAConfidential'' when Jack Vincennes, while investigating a suspicious murder in co-operation with Ed Exley, finds evidence of corruption within the police department. He can't tell other cops because of the corruption and so he goes to [[spoiler:Capt. Dudley Smith]], who Vincennes has known for a while and can trust to be out of it, or so he thinks. Then the question is asked in a way that assumes that Vincennes has already told someone so both he and the audience isn't alarmed when casually asked "What does Exley make of all this?" When Jack answers that he came straight there from the Records room, he's shot on the spot.

* In the movie ''Film/MinorityReport'', Danny Witwer gets to carry the IdiotBall for revealing his suspicions to the [[BigBad wrong person]]. Admittedly he's in a world where it's supposedly impossible to commit murder, but as the killer points out, due to recent events, that's just changed.
* In ''Film/{{Planet of the Apes|2001}}'' two {{Mooks}} bring General Thade out into the forest and recount a story of seeing something crash down, burning the trees as it went and they point out the destruction it caused. Trying to protect the secret that humans were once in charge, Thade names this trope and when they say no he does an interesting monkey flip backwards to stab them both.

'''Mr. Morgan:''' ''[brandishes an iron hook]'' Is that the only one?\\

* In ''Film/{{Beerfest}}'',
-->'''Wolfgang von Wolfhausen:''' Who else know of this package?\\
'''German Messenger:''' Oh [[GenreBlindness absolutely no one]]. Only me. It's just me.\\
'''Wolfgang von Wolfhausen:''' Dispose of him!

* In ''Film/MissionImpossibleDeadReckoningPartOne'', Denlinger, the Director of National Intelligence, meets with Gabriel, TheDragon of powerful artificial intelligence and BigBad the Entity, to inform Gabriel that he has made sure nobody but him knows the location of the ''Sevastopol'', a submarine that was attacked by an early version of the Entity’s program and thus may give its enemies an opportunity to find a weakness. Denlinger thinks that this intelligence makes him useful to Gabriel, but since Gabriel is fine with the submarine’s location staying secret due to his twisted loyalty to the Entity, he simply confirms that nobody else knows where the submarine is and then kills Denlinger.

* ''Film/DoubleIndemnity'' contains a rare example in which the villain ([[VillainProtagonist in this case also the protagonist]]) is not actually evil enough to kill the one person who has evidence against his partner-in-crime: instead, once he is assured that she has told no one else, he just convinces her to keep quiet about it.
* ''Film/BatmanReturns'' features Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer) going through these exact motions with her boss Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) about his plan to drain Gotham City of electricity. When Shreck approaches her with a menacing look, scaring her - and then he laughs, pretending it was all a joke. Soon Selina is laughing too.
-->'''Max:''' ''(presses Selina against a window menacingly, and leans forward as if to kiss her, then pulls back)'' Huh?!\\
''[they both laugh]''\\
'''Selina:''' ''[laughing]'' You know, for a moment there you really frightened me--\\
''[Max whips around and shoves her out of the window]''
* Non-lethal example in ''Film/BatmanBegins'': Carmine Falcone reveals to Dr Crane that he knows about the unethical medical experiments being carried out on the patients at Arkham asylum, implying that he's going to blackmail Crane if he doesn't cooperate. Crane responds by donning his Scarecrow mask, giving Falcone a dose of fear-inducing toxin, and torturing him into insanity.
* Creator/AkiraKurosawa's ''Film/{{Sanjuro}}''. A slight variation in that the nine naive young samurai were certain they'd identified the villain -- and reported that to the ''real'' villain, who asked them to meet him later at a secluded shrine to discuss matters further. Fortunately, Creator/ToshiroMifune was sleeping in the shrine and decided to save these well-meaning idiots.
* Early in the 1989 CultClassic ''Film/SundownTheVampireInRetreat'' Jack and Alice, a pair of campers witness their friend being killed by the local CreepyGasStationAttendant and go to report it to the local sheriff, only to find he's already locking the guy up. As they try to tell their story, the sheriff listens in interest, and asks who else knows they came to town. The two quickly wise up and realize this isn't a good question to answer, but end up getting locked up in the adjoining cell as the killer, having witnessed a "lapse" in one of the FriendlyNeighborhoodVampires. Said vampire is being locked up as a threat to public safety and they're being locked up because YouKnowTooMuch, and in the end are turned into vampires themselves [[spoiler: although both survive the movie]].
* Subverted in ''Film/VForVendetta'', when Sutler asks Finch if anyone else has read Delia's diary. Finch answers no, but Sutler just tells him he'd better forget about it -- though he also tries to cast doubt on it by pointing out that it could just be an elaborate forgery that V made to manipulate them (at the very least, V tore out any pages containing specific information that could have identified him).
* This is the main driving force of the movie ''Film/WeekendAtBernies''. The two leads, Richard and Larry, come across a work situation in which a customer's next of kin was issued a life insurance check multiple times, essentially meaning that either the man died four times or [[InsuranceFraud someone was ripping off the company]]. They bring it to their boss, Bernie Lomax, who casually asks [[TitleDrop if they've shown this to anyone else.]] Being [[YesMan company men]], they continue sucking up to Lomax and, of course, tell him he's the first person they've spoken with. Lomax invites them to his beach house for the weekend as a reward for their work. He then tries to convince his [[TheMafia Mafia-gangster]] [[TheDon boss]] that these two guys must be killed [[HeKnowsTooMuch because they know too much]]. His boss tells his hitman to kill Lomax instead. HilarityEnsues.
* In the 1997 adaptation of ''Literature/{{Ivanhoe}}'', a random message-bearing mook tries (unsuccessfully) to avert this:
-->'''Fitzurse:''' Does anybody know you're here?\\
'''Mook:''' None but my master... ''(realises where this is heading)'' who expects my safe return!
* In the thriller ''Film/NoWayOut1987'', a technician that Farrell took into his confidence, in an attempt to delay the developing of a Polaroid photo that shows his face, has an attack of conscience and tells Pritchard, under the assumption that he's a friend of Farrell. Unfortunately, Pritchard is the villain behind everything and so this trope is played out verbatim.
* In ''Film/TheIsland2005'', Gandu Three Echo tells Dr. Merrick he suspects there's something wrong with the place and heard some rumours. Dr. Merrick asks "Have you told anyone else about this?". After the predictable answer, Dr. Merrick wraps up the conversation and kills Gandu.
* In the Film/MissMarple film "Murder at the Gallop" (starring Margaret Rutherford), frightened Miss Gilcrest gives Miss Marple information regarding the murder of Mr. Enderby, and Miss Marple asks her if she's told anyone else the information. This is a subversion because Miss Marple is the detective investigating the murder and [[spoiler: Miss Gilcrest is the murderer trying to throw Miss Marple off track.]]
* ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}''
** Henry recognises immediately that Jimmy has decided to kill Morrie instead of paying him off for helping out in a heist when Jimmy asks: ''"Think Morrie tells his wife everything?"''.
** It [[ChekhovsGun comes back later]] when Jimmy asks Henry's wife Karen an innocent question about Henry and the cops: ''"Do you know what kind of questions they've been asking him?"''
* Discussed in ''Film/CloudAtlas''. As she continues to investigate a conspiracy, after ''already'' having been driven off a bridge and nearly killed, Luisa Rey (Creator/HalleBerry's 1973 character) tells her nephew waiting at her apartment a hint of what's going on, and that she'll tell him more in the morning. He references this trope and warns her to tell him then and there, because she may die soon. Sure enough, after she sends him away, there's an assassin in her apartment. [[spoiler: The assassin, Joe Napier, is a friend of her father's, and betrayed his mission by protecting her from a separate assassin.]]
* Defied in ''Film/ShootEmUp'' with the main character talking about how he hates it when they pull this in the movies. He then goes to list every single news agency that he sent the information to. [[spoiler: The fact that it's not front page news tells him that there is a much bigger conspiracy in play.]]
* Subverted in ''Film/{{Cinderella 2015}}''. When Lady Tremaine meets the Grand Duke and reveals the identity of the Mystery Princess, he asks her if she's told anyone else. Lady Tremaine says no, then proceeds to blackmail him for a noblewoman's rank in exchange -- and he readily agrees.
* Happens in ''Film/{{Dredd}}'' between the medical officer in Peach Trees and [[spoiler:the corrupt judges]], except the question is "are you willing to testify to that?". As soon as he replies "sure", bang.
* In ''Film/KindergartenCop'', the bad guy offers a reward for info on the whereabouts of his ex (who divorced him, took off with their son, and changed her name). The dupe who meets him in a back corridor of a mall tells him (of course) that no, he did not tell anyone where he was. This backfires on the villain, though, because the other man's girlfriend was actually present but hiding out of sight.
* Triply-subverted in ''Film/BattlefieldEarth'', where [[TheDragon Ker]] has information with which to gain leverage over [[BadBoss Terl]]. When the latter pulls out a gun, it turns out that Ker made a copy of the blackmailing video and gave it to a third party, whom, it turns out, Terl has already found and beheaded. Ker's punishment?[[spoiler: The loss of a hand.]]
* ''Film/ToBeOrNotToBe:'' When the Resistance fighters and actors disguised as Nazis prepare to kill a traitor, they subtly inquire about whether he's made a copy of the list of underground agents and families of Polish fighter pilots he's preparing to turn over. Unfortunately, he has, leading to a scramble to retrieve ''that.''
--> '''Joseph:''' I assume there are no supplementary documents still at the hotel?
* ''Film/TheThirdMan:'' When Holly Martins tells [[spoiler: Popescu that there was apparently a hitherto unmentioned third man at the scene of Harry's death, Popescu asks him "Who could have told you a story like that?". Harry unwisely tells Popescu that the porter at Harry's apartment block told him...and the porter is found dead shortly afterwards.]]

* ''Film/FletchLives''. Fletch confronts the BigBad with evidence of his EvilPlan, saying that his LoveInterest is ready to hand over everything he knows to the media if something happens to him.
-->'''Villain:''' You're bluffing, Fletch.\\
'''Fletch:''' No, I'm not.\\
'''Villain:''' You think you're not... but you are. ''[TheDragon drags in [[IHaveYourWife Fletch's girlfriend at gunpoint]]]''
* ''Film/RedRockWest'': After Wayne discovers that Michael isn't the hitman he sent for to kill his wife, he demands to know if Michael has told anyone else about what Wayne tried to hire him to do. Hoping to calm the angry Wayne, Michael says that he hasn't told anyone and just wants to leave town. Wayne tries to kill him.
* ''Film/SpiderManFarFromHome'': Nick Fury needs to know who Peter Parker told so that he can keep them safe. [[spoiler:Except that's actually Mysterio getting a list of targets]].
* This gets asked several times in '' Film/MarginCall'' about the analysis showing the company is massively in debt while its purchased assets are losing value fast. The answer is always "Eric Dale", an employee that was fired that morning, prompting the CEO to send a goon after him. This being a more grounded film though, they merely tell him they'll either screw him on his severance pay, or they'll give him 3 million dollar to sit in a room for a day and not talk to anyone while the company sells all those assets to other firms before they too find out the assets are worthless.
* In ''Film/DarkHeritage'', IntrepidReporter Clint Harrison meets up with [[spoiler:Mr. Daniels]] to tell him what he has learned about the Dansen clan and the murders. It is only after [[spoiler:Mr. Daniels]] asks him if he has shared his findings with anyone else does the truth start to dawn on him: that [[spoiler:Mr. Daniels]] is actually a member of the Dansen clan and plans to silence him before he can make his findings public.

!!!'''Authors:'''

** In "{{Literature/Hostess}}", an alien scientist is shot as soon as he confirms that his theory (which Earth considers dangerous for humanity) has not been shared with anyone else. The alien's fully aware he'll be shot... it's just that the alternative is far worse. Zigzagged trope: the human man who shot the scientist is married, and she heard everything. The man thinks his explanation covers that angle, but she's a scientist in that very specialty, and knows he's lying. Despite knowing the truth, she also knows that no one will listen because he destroyed the proof.

** ''Murder at the ABA'' follows an author, Darius Just, who suspects that a colleague of his was murdered. He discusses [[spoiler: how the hotel manager doesn’t believe him while having drinks with a security guard who seems sympathetic yet concerned that a murder investigation will make his employer look bad. He asks if Just has told his scandal-risking suspicions to anyone besides the manager, and Just untruthfully says that he hasn't The security guard is the killer and sends an assassin to try and kill Just a few hours later.]]

* In ''Film/TheIsland'', Gandu Three Echo tells Dr. Merrick he suspects there's something wrong with the place and heard some rumours. Dr. Merrick asks "Have you told anyone else about this?". After the predictable answer, Dr. Merrick wraps up the conversation and kills Gandu.

* Prevalent during the [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osage_Indian_murders Osage Reign of Terror]], when a real-life example of TheConspiracy plotted the murder of members of the oil-rich Osage tribe in order to take control of the oil. Multiple investigators figured out that [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hale_(cattleman) William Hale]] was behind it before the FBI got involved, but every one of them had a bad habit of bragging about how they'd figured it out but holding off on telling anyone for a while, with the result that all of them were killed before they could name Hale.

* ''Literature/TheCorellianTrilogy'': Unusually, the person who fears the lethal effects of this trope is the one to ask the question. Han asks the Selonians who are showing him their secret tunnels if anyone else knows about them because of the answer if yes then they'll have less reason to kill him to keep their secret. He’s worried when they say he’s the first non-Selonian to learn this secret, but ultimately they let him leave alive.

** A non-villain -- and non-lethal -- variant in ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' short ''WesternAnimation/JackJackAttack''; [[TheMenInBlack Agent Dicker]] asks [[BadlyBatteredBabysitter Kari]] if she's told anyone else about her disastrous attempt to look after a suddenly superpowered baby, as he's setting up a device to give her LaserGuidedAmnesia.