Several warnings have been circulating via e-mail since the Sept. 11 tragedies.
The latest message, which advises the reader to stay away from shopping malls on Halloween, has been forwarded to ThePittsburghChannel.com by many WTAE Action News viewers.
Here's the basis of the warning: An Afghani man wrote a breakup letter to his American girlfriend, urging her not to fly on Sept. 11 or visit malls on Oct. 31. The note was supposedly forwarded to a friend, who then forwarded it to another friend, who then wrote the e-mail that has been spreading rapidly. Early versions of the e-mail listed a woman from Volt.com as the author.
Call 4 Action reporter Susan Koeppen investigated the e-mail and came up with the following information:
The contact telephone number listed at the bottom of the e-mail is disconnected. A woman answering the phone at the writer's supposed place of business said the writer is a real person and actually works at the company. The writer did not set out to "spam" the nation and feels bad about what has happened. She originally sent the e-mail to one person, but that person sent it to several others who did the same thing. FBI (news - web sites) officials told Koeppen that they are aware of the e-mail and it is being investigated. Therefore,
the message has not officially been confirmed or denied. The fact that it comes from a "friend of a friend" makes some skeptical, but nobody seems to know for sure either way.
If you receive a warning that you don't know whether to believe, Koeppen suggests checking UrbanLegends.com or pueblo.gsa.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/wtae/20011011/lo/924697_1.html