Hit Man Email Scammer Back With a Vengeance 169
coondoggie writes "The online Hitman scammer, who threatens to kill recipients if they do not pay thousands of dollars to the sender, is still sending out thousands of emails and the FBI is again today warning users to ignore the spam and report any incidents to the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Two new versions of the scheme began appearing in July 2008, the FBI said. One instructed the recipient to contact a telephone number contained in the e-mail and the other claimed the recipient or a 'loved one' was going to be kidnapped unless a ransom was paid."
Is that a threat? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:this guy (Score:4, Insightful)
Don't worry, he will. Something like this is going to happen:
Man went to jail last night for a bar fight. He paid his hundred dollars bail and gets out. He's pissed at whoever he got in a fight with, he's pissed at whoever called the cops, he's pissed at the cops, he's pissed at the bar. He comes home and finds an email threatening his life.
Whatever dimwit is sending these likely won'y be alive this time next year.
He's probaby posting at slashdot, probably somebody on my "freaks" list. I hope it's the AC who keeps posting the goatse trolls, they're getting tiresome.
Why is it a 'scam'? (Score:3, Insightful)
Why are people calling this guy a 'scammer'? He sounds more like a simple extortionist.
Or is it simply that he is lying about murdering and kidnapping people, so tricking the victims into paying money when they get nothing in return? Maybe it would be more honest of him to really carry out the murders: then at least it wouldn't be a scam.
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:life0cidal corepirate nazi execrable still allo (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Is that a threat? (Score:5, Insightful)
In this case, people might actually believe (as much as you and I can't see how) that someone they know might be in real peril of getting kidnapped. Yup, it's naive, but we know people believe all sorts of things.
Note as well that a small percentage of these will fall in mailbox of people in a situation where these threats may be more plausible. I mean, if my mother received such a mail just the day after my company sent my in a middle-east country, it may take a more worrying tone.
Also, if you tell "I kidnapped your child" to 20,000 people, you have a good chance to have 2 or 3 people in the list who really don't know where their children are and worried about it.
Re:Sounds like dangerous business (Score:3, Insightful)
You really think they would send these themselves? Very likely they go through at least one proxy, either electronic or meatspace. The wrong person - maybe not wholly innocent however - would likely take the bullet. We need to be fair in our hatred.
Re:Is that a threat? (Score:3, Insightful)
True , and exactly that will make sure the scammers get caught.
The strength of normal scams is that they bring a positive message : they promise lots of money.
Some people buy that , and lose their money , other people see the hoax , but most of them will just ignore the email and delete it , which means their chances of getting caught are slim .
If you threaten someone's life , some might take it serious , other will also ignore it , but there's a good chance they will call the cops just to be sure.
But if you threaten someone's child , there's is nothing in the world that can stop them from making you suffer for eternity.
Every parents who reads that mail will want to hunt you down the face of the earth , to crush you out of existence.
So hopefully those scammers get what they deserve
Re:Sounds like dangerous business (Score:3, Insightful)
There is always a risk that this will kick back on people like this. Death threats are something that will pop up on the radar of several agencies in several countries.
The ordinary Nigeria scams are just stupid and foolish.
"Dear fool I want to give you money but you will have to pay me first..."
is just so simple compared to
"Dear fool, provide me with some more information so I can kill you or some close relative unless you pay me"
FBI Prose (Score:2, Insightful)
...the FBI is again today warning users to ignore the spam and report any incidents...
Which is it? Ignore or report?
The educational requirements to become an FBI agent are supposed to be pretty high. Wouldn't know it from their press releases. I remember during the hunt for the Unabomber they mentioned that a parcel's return address was "factitious."
Re:Sounds like dangerous business (Score:3, Insightful)
Unfortunately spammers being the scum of the earth that they are would exploit this by faking their own murder and claiming the bounty.