Australians Receive SMS Death Threats 192
beaverdownunder writes "Many Aussies across New South Wales and South Australia had a bit of a shock this morning when they received an SMS threatening them with assassination. Although somewhat varied, the messages have typically read, 'Someone paid me to kill you. If you want me to spare you, I'll give you two days to pay $5000. If you inform the police or anybody, you will die, I am monitoring you', and signed with the e-mail address killerking247@yahoo.com. Police and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission have warned that the messages are almost certainly fake, and that no dialogue should be entered into with scammers." I hope "almost certainly" is droll understatement.
Re:This isn't fair! (Score:5, Insightful)
I paid good money to have you guys assassinated.
They should have sent these SMS to the MPAA, RIAA crminals as well as the bought out Congress senators.
Hilarity ensues.
Hillarity and terrorism investigations.
People would end up in Guantanomo over this.
Re:Assumptions ... (Score:4, Insightful)
Assume you want the entire police force of some place - say, New South Wales - to be too busy and way less effective.
What would you do?
Elect Barry O'Farrell as Premier.
Re:Seems a very muted response (Score:5, Insightful)
Between our Patriot-Act-inspired anti-terrorism laws that came in for our good buddy Dubbya; our support for ACTA; our one-sided Free Trade Agreement which screws ourselves; and now the US Marines base in the Northern Territory (because Woomera wasn't enough).
Well, we've effectively ceded control over ourselves to the US.
I'm all for supporting our allies, and the US provides us with great protection, but we're legislating ourselves into being conquered.
Re:Seems a very muted response (Score:4, Insightful)
I think what he meant was that English law and Australian law share a lot of similarities because Aus law is based on the English law; indeed a lot of the Acts are the same, because they predate the split. Hence a lot of Australian courts will take english court decisions into mind, as "non-binding precedence"; indeed, even US courts have been known to do this from time to time.
Hence the ruling in an English court that a twitter update can be regarded i the same way as any other written document, could be used in an Aus. court as a "well here's what they did" precedence. Obviously, assuming Aus. has no such law or similar precedent in their own legal history.
Re:Almost certainly fake (Score:4, Insightful)