Law enforcement officials are warning Washington-region residents of a new twist on spam e-mail scheme in which the sender says he has been hired as a hitman to kill the recipient but will cancel the contract if the person agrees to pay $150,000.
Now e-mails are appearing that claim to be from the FBI in London saying the hitman has been arrested for several murders in the United States and United Kingdom.
The e-mail says the recipient was the next victim and that the recipient should contact the FBI in London to assist with the investigation.
The e-mails have been sent to several hundred people from all walks of life, including elected officials, said FBI spokesman Cathy Milhoan. Milhoan said she couldn’t reveal the identity of the elected officials, but said they were not from the D.C. area.
The e-mails appear to be a variation on similar Internet schemes, now with a threat of violence, Milhoan said. The e-mails appear to originate from outside the United States, and it’s doubtful that the sender has been following the recipient or knows where the individual lives.
The FBI officialsdon’t want recipients to panic, but they want to remind the public that providing personal information in response to an unsolicited e-mail can lead to identity theft.
Anyone who has received the e-mail should notify police or file a complaint at Internet Crime Complaint Center
