JOHANNESBURG, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- E-mails containing urban myths originating from overseas websites are giving South Africa a negative image and causing "unnecessary panic" before the World Cup, the local newspaper The Independent reported on Saturday.

    Recent e-mails containing information downloaded from www.snopes.com - a U.S. website - are being sent to South Africans with headlines such as: "Is this what is going to happen to the tourists when they reach beautiful Africa in 2010?" and "Come on 2010 visitors, we criminals have new techniques to try on you."

    The website contains various urban myths and has regular feedback to the "submit a rumor" section from users of the site.

    Some of the e-mails claimed criminals were cloning vehicle remote alarm devices, burglars were checking newspaper obituaries so they could clean out homes while the residents were away attending funerals and rapists trapped victims by posing as police officers and stopping traffic in isolated areas.

    The South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesman Supt Vincent Mdunge said these e-mails were misleading the South African public and causing "unnecessary panic".

    "Police have never heard of such happenings and this is definitely not the case here," Mdunge said, adding that people needed to stop forwarding these e-mails and check their authenticity.

    "This hype is definitely not good, especially as we near the World Cup," Mdunge said. One e-mail doing the rounds is about crooks supposedly being able to clone car-alarm systems.

    The e-mail states: "I locked my car. As I walked away I heard my car door unlock. I went back and locked my car again three times. Each time, as soon as I started to walk away, I would hear it unlock again. Naturally alarmed, I looked around and there were two guys sitting in a car in the fire lane next to the store.

    Aldino Hutchinson, a sales and technical support specialist for a Gauteng firm, said he had sent the e-mail to many of his friends only later realizing it was an urban legend.

    Another e-mail being circulated talks about burglars checking newspaper obituaries so they can clean out homes while the residents are away attending funerals.

    The e-mail states: "It's been rumored that thieves scan the obituary and wedding announcements to see which house to hit.

    Mdunge said the negative chain e-mails could be eradicated if people stopped downloading information from overseas websites.

    "If these e-mails don't stop now, then it is going to spiral out of control by the 2010 World Cup. People who have already sent out such e-mails should now send out other e-mails explaining that these are urban myths," he said.