By Mark Huffman
ConsumerAffairs.com
January 15, 2007
There is a new twist in the so-called "hit man" scam, in which recipients get an email from someone who claims to have been hired to kill them.
In the original scam, which surfaced last month, the "killer" agrees to spare the target's life for a ransom of about $20,000.
Now e-mails are surfacing that claim to be from the FBI in London. These e-mails claim that:
• An individual was recently arrested for the murders of several United States and United Kingdom citizens in relation to this matter.
• The recipient's information was found on the subject identifying the recipient as the next victim.
• The recipient is requested to contact the FBI in London to assist with the investigation.
The FBI reiterates that these emails are a scam, and urges recipients not to respond.
The Bureau warns that providing any personal information in response to an unsolicited e-mail can compromise your identity and open you to identity theft. And while the emails are considered to be empty threats, the FBI says consumers shouldn't take any chances.
"Due to the threat of violence inherent in these extortion e-mails, if you receive an e-mail that contains personally identifiable information that might differentiate your e-mail from the general e-mail spam campaign, we encourage you to contact the police," the FBI said in a statement.
The agency also warned that it is not uncommon for an Internet fraud scheme to have the same overall intent but be transmitted containing variations in the e-mail content, e.g., different names, e-mail addresses, and/or agencies reportedly involved.
