Death Threat Spam, Spam, Eggs, Bacon and Spam

[Jeff Corey]

I just received a warning from the Seattle Skeptics that a Death Threat Spam has been sent to people listed in the back of the Skeptical Inquirer as contacts for local skeptic groups. It says that the sender has a contract to kill you, but you can buy him off for $20,000.
I'ma skeered!

[Carnivore]

Well that wont do his professional reputation much good. You get hired to whack someone and you blab it straight to the mark and offer not to? :rolleyes: No one is going to hire him again soon.

[grayman]

Seriously, shouldn't this be reported to someone official-like?

[JoeTheJuggler]

I can't imagine the spammers make any money by selectively targeting smarter-than-average people.

I'll bet they'd do much better getting e-mail addresses out of a New Ager magazine.

[PastBrowneFan]

Great.....now I'll probably get a death threat spam from one Ms. SB.......

[Jeff Corey]

Seriously, shouldn't this be reported to someone official-like?

Probably, but I didn't personally get it, it was referred as a warning from another skeptics group. But, I don't think anyone is going to take this seriously.

Subject: BE MORE CAREFUL
From: COLD BLOOD
"A am very sorry for you , it is a pity that this is how your life is going self if you will like to. As you can see there is no need for introducing my self because I don't have any business with you. My work as I am talking to you is just to kill you and I have to do it as I have already been paid for that."

And later " So I will like to know if you will like to live or die as someone has paid us to kill you. Get back to me now if you are ready to pay $20,000."

Still later, 'WARNING; DO NOT CONTACT THE POLICE OR TELL ANYONE, FOR I DO THAT I WILL KNOW AND WILL EXTEND IT TO YOUR FAMILY.'

Does anyone else here get an echo of Boris and Natasha?

"MOOSE AND SQUIRREL MUST DIE!"

[Elizabeth I]

It sounds more like a blonde joke:

This blond is short of cash, so she decides to try her hand at kidnapping. She goes to the local park, pulls a kid behind a tree, and pins a note him. The note reads, "Put ten thousand dollars in a paper sack behind the tree in the park tomorrow morning, or you'll never see your child again. Signed, The Blonde." Then she tells the kid, "Take this note to your mother," and goes home.

The next morning she goes back to the park and looks behind the tree. Sure enough, there sits a paper sack. The sack has $10,000 dollars in it, and a note. The note reads, "I can't believe you would do this to another blonde!"

[grayman]

Time for a blond (http://www.michaelwender.com/page/BlondeStar) derail.

[Zep]

Hey, if they do contact you again, ask them who to make the $20,000 cheque out to.

[Jeff Corey]

Hey, you guys, what are you doing derailing a serious thread with your politically incorrect hairist jokes? Some of my best friend is blonde.

[Fnord]

Something seemed familiar about this. Here's a link:

"Scam contract killer email blackmails recipients with death threat (http://www.sophos.com/pressoffice/news/articles/2007/01/deathphish.html)"

The article includes:

"This is surely one of the sickest phishes yet seen - the intention of this email is quite clearly to frighten the recipient into coughing up a substantial amount of money or, at the very least, their bank account details," said Graham Cluley (http://www.sophos.com/pressoffice/contacts/grahamc.html), senior technology consultant for Sophos. "Innocent, vulnerable people could be scared into believing that the contents of the email are truthful, while the not-so-innocent are arguably even more likely to be hoodwinked. It may be hugely unnerving to receive such threats, but the only way to stop the distribution of these messages is for users to stop responding." (Excerpt used without permission.)

Another one from the Times U.K. (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/newspapers/sunday_times/britain/article1292274.ece)

"Don't be fooled if you receive an e-mail from a professional hitman who says that he is willing to spare your life for a price - he's actually just a spammer hoping to get lucky." (Excerpt used without permission.)

And finally, there is an article over at the Snopes Website (http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/hitman.asp):

"Fear not: It's all a scam. There is no such plot in place, no hitman who needs to be paid off. Numerous folks have received the same e-mail, so anyone who has had it land in his inbox need not fret he is being hunted by a hired killer. It's a con, nothing more. The only thing at risk are the target's bank account." (Excerpt used without permission.)

Snopes and the FBI have some more information on This Webpage (http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/hitman.asp), and even give some advice as to what to do, and what not to do, about any more emails from "hitmen".

Bottom line: There is nothing to fear. It's "only" a phishing attempt, or an attempt to extort money; not an actual death threat. Alert the FBI or simply block the sender and delete the email. Just do not reply to it.

[Jeff Corey]

Actually I knew that.Right off. From the gitgo or beginning, because,
ETA sorry. Bad link.Try U tube -> Spam.

[CFLarsen]

I can't imagine the spammers make any money by selectively targeting smarter-than-average people.

How do you know that skeptics are smarter-than-average people?

[Cuddles]

Hey, you guys, what are you doing derailing a serious thread with your politically incorrect hairist jokes? Some of my best friend is blonde.

:D

[brodski]

How do you know that skeptics are smarter-than-average people?

Because we all live in Jellystone park?

[Jeff Corey]

Or Lake Wobegon.

[Temporal Renegade]

Time for a blond (http://www.michaelwender.com/page/BlondeStar) derail.

I played this for my wife; she's blonde, and she loves blonde jokes.

Go figure. :)

[Ducky]

I was recently informed via email that:

"I am pleased to inform you that we have been paid to assassinate you by your co-worker in your office."

Uhh. Fowlsound Productions is run out of my apartment (my second bedroom is a studio.)

Well, I asked my wife and she didn't pay to have me killed. Her exact words were "If I wanted you dead I'd do it myself." It must be the cat.

That damn cat....

[Professor Yaffle]

Any mention of hitmen makes me think of Max and Paddy in Phoenix Nights "Put me tape on"...

[Orangutan]

I think they have done a few of these over at 419eater.com, if you want them baited back go and see if some of them will take it and run with it. They don't even need your email addy, just the return adress and the text of the email. the phishers certainly can't remember who they phised.

[Soapy Sam]

At this point I wish to say that I can be bought off for as little as $1000, which is a substantial saving on $20,000.

In fact, if you send me $1000 and put my name at the top of a list which you should email to 9 other people...

[kmortis]

I was recently informed via email that:

"I am pleased to inform you that we have been paid to assassinate you by your co-worker in your office."

Uhh. Fowlsound Productions is run out of my apartment (my second bedroom is a studio.)

Well, I asked my wife and she didn't pay to have me killed. Her exact words were "If I wanted you dead I'd do it myself." It must be the cat.

That damn cat....

Well, that's what you get from accepting Puss's kittens.

[Temporal Renegade]

I was recently informed via email that:

"I am pleased to inform you that we have been paid to assassinate you by your co-worker in your office."

Uhh. Fowlsound Productions is run out of my apartment (my second bedroom is a studio.)

Well, I asked my wife and she didn't pay to have me killed. Her exact words were "If I wanted you dead I'd do it myself." It must be the cat.

That damn cat....

"I am pleased to inform you..."????

Talk about enjoying your work.

[brodski]

Any mention of hitmen makes me think of Max and Paddy in Phoenix Nights "Put me tape on"...

That's not a gun, it's a a broom handled Mauser! :D

[Dr Adequate]

I've been not killing you all for years. You will receive my bill shortly.

[Mercutio]

Oh, you slay me, Dr. A.














so... I don't have to pay, right?