Warning over bogus email
8:57am Tuesday 22nd January 2013 in News
WORRIED residents are being advised not to panic about a bogus “assassin” email that is being circulated via the internet.
Police and trading standards officials are warning people not to be tricked into handing over cash to internet fraudsters because of the dramatic message. The fraudulent email claims to be from a sympathetic assassin who claims the recipient has wrongly had a contract taken out against them.
The fraudster offers to forgo his job in return for a large amount of money.
He will then provide proof of who has taken out the “hit” in return for even more cash.
Throughout the email the recipient is warned not to contact police or tell friends or family about the content of the message.
Det Con Mark Aldridge, from Lancashire police, said: “Anybody receiving this kind of email could feel intimidated and genuinely concerned that their safety is at risk.
“This email is simply a spin-off from other emails designed to scam the public out of their money. The police take these matters extremely seriously.”
He added that the poor English indicates that the scam originates overseas, which also makes it difficult to investigate.
Det Aldridge said anyone receiving the email should simply delete it and block the sender.
Anyone who believes they have been a victim of fraud can report it to Action Fraud on 0300 1232040 or visit actionfraud.police.uk
