With the many rumors, believable or not, circulating on the Internet since Sept. 11, one has gotten the attention of the FBI.

The e-mail is a warning not to go to any malls on Halloween. The FBI responded by issuing a press release on its Web site (www.fbi.gov) last week that said it has looked into the source of the e-mail and has not found it to be a credible threat.

Russell Frank, an assistant professor of communications who received his Ph.D. in folklore from the University of Pennsylvania, said it is important to look at the societal purpose of urban legends, like those that revolve around Halloween.

"They are an informal barometer of what's worrying people in our culture," Frank said. "Obviously, the country is extremely worried."

In the Oct. 31 terrorist threat e-mail, the sender relates a conversation she had with somebody who knew a person who dated a man from Afghanistan. After this person was allegedly stood up for a date by the man, she received a note Sept. 10 telling her not to go on any airplanes on Sept. 11 or to any malls on Oct. 31. She turned the note over to the FBI soon after, the e-mail said.

Frank said the nature of Halloween lends itself to this type of rumor. Children are already breaking social rules by going to houses of strange people and taking candy from strangers, things they are normally discouraged to do. He said this could be just another Halloween legend, but this one is attaching itself to the country's fear of terrorism.

Dawn Beachy (junior-accounting and international business) said she doesn't pay much attention to the forwarded e-mails she gets, but because this one mentioned terrorism, she decided to send it on.

"If I had gotten it two months ago, I probably never would have opened it," she said.

Frank also said there is no real reason to worry about the rumor, but there is the possibility of copycat crimes or bomb threats occurring. A past rumor that people were tampering with candy had a major impact on the observance of Halloween, but in actuality, there were relatively few incidents of this. While the chances of a terrorist attack on a mall next week may be small, Frank said those who completely discount the rumor could find themselves in a difficult position.

"Who would want to be the person who says 'don't worry,' " if something actually did happen, he said.

Frank said some people pass these rumors along knowing they're not true, while others take a "better safe-than-sorry" approach. He said another factor in believing these rumors is that in the post-Vietnam era, people have been less inclined to believe official sources such as the government. Instead, they are likelier to listen to conspiracy theories that come across the Internet.

"Mostly, people are afraid and the story gets passed around because of the fear," he said.

The sender of the e-mail says she spoke to her friend's friend. Frank said folklorists call this "friend-of-a-friend" reference "foaflore." The separation between the presumed source of the rumor and the person reading it gives it less validity, he added. That's what makes you suspicious — the vagueness of the source, Frank said.

For Beachy, the possibility exists that the warning might be real, but she's not taking it too seriously.

"I'm not thinking anything of it," she said. "You can't live your life in fear."