An email scam of a new kind is being reported; it seems people are getting emails that demand payment for calling off “a hitman”!
Reports say that people have been getting emails that demand payment, in bitcoin, in exchange for calling off hitmen assigned to murder them. Such an email, which would evidently be from the owner of a dark website offering illegal services, would tell the recipient that someone has hired a hitman to kill the recipient and that the website owner would call the hitman off if a payment is made.
NewsBTC reports, “A report in Bleeping Computer states that people have been receiving emails that are apparently from the owner of a dark web site offering various illegal services. The emails state that someone has hired a hit man to murder the receiver. Fortunately, the site owner is willing to call the hired gun off – if the receiver pays up first.”
The report further says that the message in the email is written in “sloppy English with poor spelling and grammar” and it claims that the sender is the owner of a dark website offering illegal services- “Nearly anything from totally eliminating peoples small business to physical accidental injuries and many others”
The report further reads, “The sender then states that they have been contacted by someone who wants to hire a hit man to dispose of the email’s receiver. This is to be performed in an “instant”, “pain-free” manner.”
The sender then offers to take a fee from the email recipient in return for the hit being called off. The poorly worded email seems to suggest that the sender would be willing to call off the hitman if he is paid $1,200. The NewsBTC report quotes some text from the email, which reads- “Soon after the purchase is complete, I often remove the hitman as well, therefore I do have a selection, to generate a grand and two hundred coming from you, quite simply with no effort, or to get 4k from the customer, yet to lose my executor.”
There is the mention of a 38-hour deadline and the email also includes a Bitcoin address to which the payments are to be made.
As of now, there are no reports of any kinds of payment being made to the scammers following these emails. NewsBTC reports, “A quick look at a blockchain explorer confirms that no one in receipt of one of these supposed threats has so far paid up to call off the most likely imaginary hit. Judging by the scam’s lack of sophistication, it also seems doubtful that anyone will fall for it.”