An example would be an E-mail saying there had been a newspaper report of a lady at a shopping center in Ohio finding a flat tire when she returns to her car at closing time. A well dressed man offers to give her a lift, but she feels uneasy and declines. The obvious conclusion was that the man intended her evil. The moral is for women to be careful in dark parking lots. They can never be verified as actually occurring.
Urban legends are very often scary to some extent.
So in addition to spreading untrue information you spread a little fear with them. It is good Internet etiquette to NOT forward urban legends. Several web sites maintain lists and descriptions of the many hoaxes, chain letters, and urban legends. One statement claims that Procter and Gamble Corporation is involved in satanic activity and that the company's logo includes satanic symbolism. General Superintendent Thomas Trask has issued a letter in response to inquiries to the Assemblies of God Headquarters in Springfield, Mo., concerning Procter and Gamble.