I think the FBI is smart enough to dismiss loony calls like this and I have said so. Remember that this is not even a first-hand observation, but second-hand rumor overheard between two other students.
"One of the students mentioned to her friend that there were bunches of Middle-Eastern guys buying phones in the Radio Shack."
The report of a concerned citizen costs nothing.
Only if they toss it into the rubbish bin. If they investigate, then it costs money. Are you one of those who think government services are free?
Nothing the government does, or gives, is 'free'. It costs taxpayer $$. It just seems to me that- if wasting government $$ is your main concern re. these suspicions- you could be crusading against government paying hundreds of dollars for toilet seats, and wrenches and other common items that are bought in massive numbers. I think that waste far outweighs the hourly wages of FBI agents.
If a government employee deems it necessary to investigate ANY call by a concerned citizen re. the safety of this country then that is what he is being paid to do and it is not a 'waste'.
In fact, an FBI agent said so recently, when a concerned citizen called about a suspicious man. He said to report anything worrisome and let THEM decide what is important.
I do believe that people being suspicious of Middle Eastern types( despite the fact that they ARE the face of the enemy now)bothers you far more than any $$ that might be wasted, and I find that interesting.