'Hit man' email scam reported in West Chicago
West Chicago, Illinois: September 1, 2011 - In 2006, the “hit man” email scam was first identified on the Internet and it has now reached West Chicago.
This email states that the sender has been hired to kill the recipient. The sender sometimes will use the recipient's personal information, such as employment location, marital status, etc.
Such personal information is available on the Internet and does not necessarily mean that the sender truly knows the recipient. They use this information in an attempt to sound more authentic and more believable.
The emails continue on to say that they are willing to break their contract with the one who hired them if the recipient pays them money.
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center has received thousands of reports on this type of email and is warning people not to be disturbed by it. This email is a hoax.
This “hit man” email scam has now been reported in West Chicago and the West Chicago Police Department would like to share a few safety tips regarding ANY internet/email scams:
Do not open an email from unknown person.
Do not reply to any of these scam emails. Doing so lets the sender know that they have found a live account and they will continue to send more threatening emails in hopes of scaring the recipient enough that they will send money.
NEVER give out any personal information or financial information to a person or company that you have not researched and found to be legitimate.
Remember, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.