Last month I wrote of receiving a death threat by email, which turned out to be an extortion attempt that was making the rounds as spam. The FBI issued an advisory about this scam in January.
CNN now reports that the FBI is investigating these scams:
The FBI has received more than 100 complaints about the so-called “hitman scam” from across the country. Typically, the cyber shakedown seeks anywhere from $30,000 to $80,000.
FBI special agent James Burrell says some people have fallen for the scam, sending criminals tens of thousands of dollars. The FBI says they have some leads in the case, but they wouldn’t provide specific details.
Burrell said tracking suspects is difficult because it’s a borderless crime believed to be originating overseas.
[...]
McGlothin never fell for the scam, because as the FBI points out, the e-mail was mostly generic. There was nothing specific to him, not even his address.
However, that’s not always the case. The FBI says at least one e-mailer got a second e-mail listing personal details — his work address, marital status and daughter’s full name.
I didn’t get the email with personal details. However, it is unfortunately very easy for scammers to get personal information, because the safeguards on such information tend to be far too weak. If you get a threat with personal details, I’d advise reporting it to the FBI, but not otherwise taking it seriously.
I just received the same email from riprip099@gmail — I forwarded to local FBI office. I’m feeling slighly inferior however, as I was only asked for $8,000.