Jul 31, 2008 6:40 pm US/Eastern
Spammers Profiting Off Of E-Mail Death Threat Scam
Victims Told To Pay Thousands Or They'll Be Killed
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Imagine getting an e-mail that threatens your life, demanding you pay up or else. It's a scam that's been showing up in the mailboxes of many in our area and CBS 2 launched an investigation to find out who's behind the threats.
The header reads, "Someone you call your friend wants you dead."
Tiffany Duncan was more than surprised when she recently logged onto her email account and found the death threat. The alleged hitman writes that Duncan has 10 days to hand over several thousand dollars or she'll be killed.
"It describes in detail how I'm being watched," she told CBS 2. "I got a chill down my spine."
Authorities say the e-mails are the latest attempt by spammers to get their hands on your money, similar to the e-mails that claim you've won a lottery or just inherited a large sum of cash, and all you have to do is wire money for handling fees.
"It's not much different from the way the mafia works, it's extortion, high tech extortion," said Leonard Gordon, Director of the Northeast Region of the Federal Trade Commission.
But instead of appealing to greed, Gordon said the scam works on another human emotion: fear.
"If the perpetrator is asking for $5,000 to $10,000, that's not bad money for a couple minutes work," said Craig Butterworth of National White Collar Crimes.
The FBI warns tens of thousands of these emails have been sent out, but it's a crime that is hard to prosecute because the thieves are usually not located in the United States.
"Asia, the U.K., Canada, France, Italy, all over the world," said Butterworth.
While there have been absolutely no reports of injuries, Gordon warns you should absolutely not reply. Instead, contact law enforcement, like Duncan did, right away.
"I don't feel like my life is in danger, I'm just surprised that this can happen and someone would take the time to write something like this," she said.
Sadly, there have been reports of people handing over money. In one case, a recipient responded that he wanted to be left alone only to be e-mailed back a second time with some personal details about his life, including his daughter's full name.
For more information on these scams or to complain about one,
click here.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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