FBI Warns of an E-Extortion Scam
At first glance, the E-mail is terrifying: Cough up $20,000, or you will be killed by a hit man: "Tell me now are you ready to do what I said or do you want me to proceed with my job? Answer Yes/No and don't ask any questions!!!" one E-mail said.
Replete with misspellings and grammatical errors, the new scam began popping up in E-mail boxes nationwide in December. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has gotten about 115 complaints, according to FBI Special Agent John Hambrick, who heads IC3. Hambrick says no one has coughed up the dough so far, and no one has been killed as threatened.
"This is a hoax," says Hambrick, "so do yourself a favor and don't respond."
A response to the sender only serves to confirm the E-mail address and "escalates the intimidation," he says. One recipient who did respond and threatened to call the cops got another unnerving E-mail with personal details about the recipient, the FBI says, including "work address, marital status, and daughter's full name," followed by the "do you want me to proceed with my job?" ultimatum.
"I have followed you closely for one week and three days now," one E-mail threatened. "Do not contact the police or FBI or try to send a copy of this to them, because if you do I will know, and might be pushed to do what I have being [sic] paid to do."
G-man Bill Shore, who specializes in computer crimes, says scam-meisters may have obtained the personal data through online searches, and that responding to the messages may lead only to more angst and potential identity thefts.
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