Please listen to this message because it will save you a lot of grief. There is a new attempt by some criminals to extort money from you. They are threatening to kill you if you do not pay them. Whether they are for real or not, is not worth the risk. The email can be terrifying, but whatever you do…
DO NOT REPLY!
Please be warned if you do reply, you may open the door for them to dig into who you are and allow them access to extort you some more or even worse.
Following is a copy of such an email (I left the incorrect spelling and grammar intact):
To:
From: Mr Someone You Call Friend Wants You Dead
I felt very sorry and bad for you, that your life is going to end like this if you don't comply. I was paid to eliminate you and I have to do it within 10 days.
Someone you call your friend wants you dead by all means, and the person have spent a lot of money on this, the person also came to us and told us that he wants you dead and he provided us your names, photograph and other necessary information we needed about you. If you are in doubt with this I will send you your name and where you are residing in my next mail.
Meanwhile, I have sent my boys to track you down and they have carried out the necessary investigation needed for the operation, but I ordered them to stop for a while and not to strike immediately because I just felt something good and sympathetic about
Now do you want to LIVE OR DIE? It is up to you. Get back to me now if you are ready to enter deal with me, I mean life trade, who knows, and I might just spear your life, $8,000 is all you need to spend. You will first of all pay $3,500 then I will send the tape of the person that want you dead to you and when the tape gets to you, you will pay the remaining $4,500. If you are not ready for my help, then I will have no choice but to carry on the assignment after all I have already being paid before now.
Warning: do not think of contacting the police or even tell anyone because I will extend it to any member of your family since you are aware that somebody want you dead, and the person knows some members of your family as well.
For your own good I will advise you not to go out on.
This is most likely one of those international scams, similar to the "419 Frauds" going around. But this is more threatening, so I needed to let everyone know about it. And please pass this information around. Don't take any chances with your well being; either your lives and /or your economics. DO NOT REPLY to these criminals.
You can file a complaint to the Federal Internet Crimes division of the FBI through IC3 for internet crimes in the U.S.
If you are in another country report any of these extortion attempts to your appropriate government law enforcement agency.
