This scam comes in the form of an e-mail threat on your life according to the FBI. The sender identifies himself as a professional Hitman who has been hired to kill you. He says, “Someone you call a friend wants you Dead by all means, and the person has spent a lot of money on this. The LA Daily News reports that one such e-mail posted on Fraudwatchers.org says, “As I am writing to you now my men are monitoring you and they are telling me everything about you…someone has paid us to kill you.”
The person who says he is a Hitman lists your name and address, where you work, if you have children and other information that can be acquired on the Internet. The e-mail goes on to say, “Get back to me now if you are ready to pay some fees to spare your life.” Then the Hitman asks, “do you want to live or die?” He then suggests that he will cancel the contract in exchange for a sum between $5,000 and $150,000. The FBI says they have not heard of any victims paying off the Hitman. But the FBI agent said some people mybe embarrassed that they paid the money.
Law enforcement officials suggest you report such e-mails to the FBI.
Another deadly scam involves gang members targeting a senior citizen. A California State Official, who does not want her name used, says gang members are making friends with elderly men and women who live along and do not have families. They collect the information on the elderly resident that is needed to get an insurance policy on their life. The gang members buy an accidental death policy that would cover a person being killed. They buy a policy for $25,000 or less because most insurance companies will not
investigate a death covered by that amount, especially if there is a police report.
The gang members make the monthly payments for a couple of months then they shoot and kill the elderly person infront of their home with neighbors watching. The gang members make it appear that it is a gang on gang drive by shooting and the elderly person is just an innocent bystander who is killed. Then saying they are a family member they claim the insurance money. The State Official says this has happened.