This is the latest HOAX, which came in my email this morning:

Hi All -

I think you all know that I don't send out hoaxes and don't do the reactionary thing and send out anything that crosses my path. This one, however, is a friend of a friend and I've given it enough credibility in my mind that I'm writing it up and sending it out to all of you.

My friend's friend was dating a guy from Afghanistan up until a month ago. She had a date with him around 9/6 and was stood up. She was understandably upset and went to his home to find it completely emptied. On 9/10, she received a letter from her boyfriend explaining that he wished he could tell her why he had left and that he was sorry it had to be like that. The part worth mentioning is that he BEGGED her not to get on any commercial airlines on 9/11 and to not to go any malls on Halloween. As soon as everything happened on the 11th, she called the FBI and has since turned over the letter.

This is not an email that I've received and decided to pass on. This came from a phone conversation with a long-time friend of mine last night.

I may be wrong, and I hope I am. However, with one of his warnings being correct and devastating, I'm not willing to take the chance on the second and wanted to make sure that people I cared about had the same information that I did.

This email is a HOAX , and will probably show up in your email sooner or later. You can read about it at Snopes

-- Joy F [in So. Wisconsin] (CatFlunky@excite.com), October 12, 2001

Answers

Thanks for sharing Joy. With all that is going on it is good to know what is a hoax and what is real.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), October 12, 2001.

Joy I have seen similar hoaxs. However What about GWB's speech last night where he confirmed that they had in fact been threats of more terrorist attacks in the next few days.

Halloween is a well known American holiday. So I guess the hoaxers feed off a little truth and a lot of speculation.

I expect that a lot of rumors will abound for the next year or so.

-- Kenneth in N.C. (wizardsplace13@hotmail.com), October 12, 2001.

I got the same email twice today. Frankly I wish the clowns that are sending these out would be caught and stopped. They are really some lame sick-o's. We have our hands more than full enough trying to concentrate on what the REAL terrorists will do next. We don't need to be wasting our time with these mindless games. I would rather concentrate on what we can do to HELP our notion NOT cause further stress, fear, panic and chaos. People should THINK about things before they act upon them.

-- Greenthumbelina (sck8107@aol.com), October 12, 2001.

Kenneth, this one apparently started making the rounds on October 5th, long before the FBI announcement. The FBI denies THIS has any basis in fact. More about it at the link I provided. They have information about variations that go back at least to the Napoleonic Wars, maybe even to the Middle Ages.

I do think other terrorist acts are likely, but THIS PARTICULAR ONE is a hoax. My purpose in posting this was to forstall the posting of it by someone who fell for it. :-)

-- Joy F [in So. Wisconsin] (CatFlunky@excite.com), October 12, 2001.

I know Joy. Glad you caught it and posted it.

The very real acts will most likely scare the heeby jeebys out of us all.

-- Kenneth in N.C. (wizardsplace13@hotmail.com), October 12, 2001.

I received this one too and deleted it. As a rule, I've deleted all emails pertaining to Sept 11 and Bin-with-a-dirty-dishtowel-on-his- head. I've deleted all the prayer and inspirational ones too. I know how to pray without them. IMHO, the Bin-person is getting entirely too much attention. We should be thinking of all the people working at the awful task of cleaning up his messes. God bless!

-- Ardie from WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), October 12, 2001.

Thanks! At least I won't have to hear about some guy dressing up like little Bo Peep and trying to kill everyone in a dormitory. I work at a University and this one cycles through every Halloween. Bunch o knotheads. I think I have some horse manure to shovel....

-- Gailann Schrader (gtschrader@aol.com), October 12, 2001.

Thanks Joy!!! The loonies have been having a field day as of late!!!

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), October 12, 2001.

I love that urban legends website. It's a great way to pass a little time. Even some time tested stories that have been around for years are debunked there.

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), October 12, 2001.