Death Threat or Assassin Scam

This is a rare type of scam and although it does not ascribe to the typical advanced fee fraud genre, it is certainly prepetrated by the same criminals who steal money via lottery, NOK, fake job scams, etc. This is a particularly nasty type of fraud. Essentially the scammer is extorting money by threatening to kill the recipient of the email.

The scammer is not going to kill you. He does not even know who you are or where you are. This email has been sent to many random people in the same way that lottery scams are sent. The scammer merely sends this threatening message in the hope that at least one person will believe it. Do not respond to this email under any circumstances.

Return-Path: <[email protected]>
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:23:32 -0300
From: HIT MAN <[email protected]>
Reply-To: [email protected]
Subject: LIVE OR DIE
X-Originating-IP: 196.1.177.162 <- IP Points to Nigeria
To: undisclosed-recipients: ; <- Sent to many hidden email addresses


Hello,
I am very sorry for your Xxxxxx and there is no need for introduction because I
have no business with you, if you are reading this mail you will be dead in the
next 48hours. I play my hit well and I will take any risk to get it done.

Someone you call a friend wants you dead so he paid me to take the hit, he
provided me with the necessary information about you including your pictures,
right now i have my men around you watching every single thing you do so think
twice but they are on order not to kill because I told them I needed to contact
you first that is if your life is important to you.

I called my client asking for your email address unknowingly to him i was going
to contact you. As am writing you now my men are placed in position waiting for
my order at anytime.

Now do you want to LIVE OR DIE? Because I have already been paid for the hit.
Get back to me if you will pay some fee to spare you life so I can make some
arrangement, you are to pay me $15,000usd but first you will pay me $8,000 and
soon as the payment is confirmed then I will send the recorded conversation
between me and your friend that wants you dead as you get the recorded tape you
are to pay me the remaining $7,000 am giving you a week for the payment and. If
i don’t get your reply immediately I will commence with the hit.

NOTE: Don’t think of contacting the police or even telling anybody including any
of your family members remember I have placed my men in position so keep this a
secret between me and you or I guess I will change me mind. Once you get the
tape you can take any legal action. Good luck as I await your reply.

EMAIL: [email protected]

As Peta says, while this is not really advance fee fraud, it is the same scammers behind it and definitely a scam (ie: You're not in any real physical danger). Please read more information about this type of scam on this topic by Arnold: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3257

This is the email i just received today. Im callin the FBI and reporting this.


Am very sorry for you my friend, is a pity that this is how your life is going to end as soon as you don't comply.As you can see there is no need of introducing myself to you because I don't have any business with you, my duty as I am mailing you now is just to KILL/ASSASSINATE you and I have to do it as I have already been paid for that.
Someone you call a 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 me that he want you dead and he provided us with your name ,picture and other necessary information's we needed about you. So I sent my boys to track you down and they have carried out the necessary investigation needed for the operation on you, and they have done that but I told them not to kill you that I will like to contact you and see if your life is Important to you or not since their findings shows that you are innocent.
I called my client back and ask him of you email address which I didn't tell him what I wanted to do with it and he gave it to me and I am using it to contact you now. As I am writing to you now my men are monitoring you and they are telling me everything about you.
Now do you want to LIVE OR DIE? As someone has paid us to kill you. Get back to me now if you are ready to pay some fees to spare your life, If you are not ready for my help, then I will carry on with my job straight-up.
WARNING: DO NOT THINK OF CONTACTING THE POLICE OR EVEN TELL ANYONE BECAUSE I WILL KNOW. REMEMBER, SOMEONE WHO KNOWS YOU VERY WELL WANT YOU DEAD! I WILL EXTEND IT TO YOUR FAMILY, IN CASE I NOTICE SOMETHING FUNNY.
DO NOT COME OUT ONCE IT IS 6:16PM UNTIL I MAKE OUT TIME TO SEE YOU AND GIVE YOU THE TAPE OF MY DISCUSSION WITH THE PERSON WHO WANT YOU DEAD AFTER YOU HAVE COMPLIED WITH MY DEMANDS, THEN YOU CAN USE IT TO TAKE ANY LEGAL ACTION..
GOOD LUCK AS I AWAIT YOUR REPLY

Welcome to Scamwarners, and thanks for the post. Sorry about the delay in replying.
The FBI will probably only record it, as they don't have the resources to do more than that unless a victim has lost a huge amount of money. And in view of the international nature of the scam, there's rarely anything useful that can be done.
This scam frightens some people, but I've not heard of anyone paying up.
Can you quote the scammer's email address, and the full email headers. Thanks.