Edinburgh Man Receives Hitman Fraud E-Mail

Stewart Dawson, a man from Edinburgh (Scotland) was lately victimized with an e-mail scam, so published Scotsman.com dated September 9, 2011.

Carrying a marksman's photograph, the electronic mail from scammers threatened the reader that an alleged friend of his had given the writer a ransom for terminating the reader's life. But, the assassination could be averted if the reader paid a few thousand pounds via the Western Union.

Dawson, aged 33, and an owner of a DVD distribution firm, which he operates from his residence, stated that scam e-mails arrived in his inbox daily; however, the current one gave him a chill feeling. He had to go through the e-mail twice as he was unable to believe its content, Dawson added. Scotsman.com published this on September 9, 2011.

Meanwhile a spokesman representing Action Fraud that the National Fraud Authority runs to assist coordinate the war on Internet scams within U.K stated that the latest fraudulent e-mail tried causing an extreme fear as also it carried an intimidation of violence that wasn't similar to the conventional fraud witnessed thus far. Scotsman.com reported this on September 9, 2011.

Moreover according to security researchers, the above described scam electronic mail represents an "advance fee fraud" version as well as is called the "Hitman scam." The method of operating such scams involves a hitman supposedly recruited for killing the victim although if the latter sends a particular sum of cash the contract will be cancelled and the victim spared from being killed, very similar to what's stated in Dawson's instance. In addition, the sender in the e-mail asserts that the murder was the proposition of "a friend," however, the assassin has come to believe that the reader has no fault thus he's ready to spare his life but on receiving an abundant payment.

Consequent of such e-mails, the security specialists recommend victims similar to Dawson that if an above kind of scam e-mail comes into their inbox, they mustn't answer it, for answering it will confirm that their e-mail ids are active. Besides, any victim worried of personal safety must approach the Police, they add.

» SPAMfighter News - 9/20/2011