New Hit-Man E-Mail Scams Surface: FBI

Two new versions of the so-called e-mail “hit man” scam—where recipients are told there is a contract on their life and they will be killed unless they pay a ransom—have surfaced, according to a report released Thursday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

In one of the new versions that began appearing in July, recipients are told to contact a telephone number in the message, the FBI said. In the other, recipients are told that either they or a loved one will be kidnapped unless they respond by e-mail and pay a ransom within 48 hours, the FBI said.

“The sender was to provide the location of the wire transfer five minutes before the deadline and threatened bodily harm if the ransom was not received within 30 minutes of the time frame given,” the FBI said in a warning to consumers.

The FBI added that the messages included unspecified personally identifiable information to give the appearance that the sender knew the recipients and their locations.

Reports of hit-man e-mails began surfacing in 2006 and have been rampant ever since, according to the FBI.

“The IC3 [Internet Crime Complaint Center] continues to receive thousands of reports concerning the hit man e-mail scheme,” the FBI said. “E-mail content has evolved since late 2006; however, the messages remain similar in nature, claiming the sender has been hired to kill the recipient.”