AN INCREASE IN INTERNET SCHEMES PURPORTEDLY FROM THE FBI
07/17/07—We have increasingly received reports of fraudulent schemes misrepresenting the FBI and Director Robert S. Mueller III. The e-mails may include pictures of the FBI Director, the seal, letter head, and banners. The letters may also claim to come from domestic or foreign FBI offices.
Most of the schemes that use the Director’s name or refer to the FBI are lottery endorsements and inheritance notifications. They also include threat and extortion e-mails, website monitoring containing malicious computer program attachments (malware), and online auction scams.
Beware of any unsolicited e-mail referencing the FBI, Director Mueller or any other FBI official endorsing any type of Internet activity.
Fraudsters pretending to be from the FBI—which is an old trick—hope to cash in by intimidating their victims.
If you have experienced this situation please notify the IC3 by filing a complaint at www.ic3.gov .
SPAM INVOLVING THE U.S. MILITARY
07/17/07—We continue to receive reports of spam e-mail which claim to be from an official of the U.S. military sent on behalf of American soldiers stationed overseas. The scam e-mails vary in content; however, the general theme of each is to request personal information and/or funds from the individual receiving the e-mail.
Beware of any e-mail received from an unknown sender which either requests personal information or asks for money for any reason. We recommend against opening e-mail from unknown senders because they often carry viruses or other malicious software.
If you receive an e-mail similar to this, please file a complaint at www.ic3.gov.
GREETING CARD SCAM
07/17/07—We continue to receive reports of Internet fraud related to electronic greeting cards containing malware (malicious software). The cards, which are also referred to as e-cards or postcards, are being sent via spam.
Like many other Internet fraud schemes, the perpetrators claim the card is from a family member or friend. Although there have been variations in the spam message and attached malware, generally the spam directs the recipient to click the link provided in the e-mail to view their e-card. Upon clicking the link, the recipient is unknowingly taken to a malicious web page.
Beware of unsolicited e-mails. It is recommended not to open e-mails from unknown senders because they often contain viruses or other malicious software.
If you have received an e-mail similar to this, please file a complaint at www.ic3.gov.
NEW TWIST CONCERNING THREAT AND EXTORTION E-MAILS
01/09/07—There is a new twist to the IC3 alert posted on December 7, 2006 regarding e-mails claiming that the sender has been paid to kill the recipient and will cancel the contract on the recipient's life if that person pays a large sum of money. Now e-mails are surfacing that claim to be from the FBI in London. These e-mails note the following information:
- An individual was recently arrested for the murders of several United States and United Kingdom citizens in relation to this matter.
- The recipient's information was found on the subject identifying the recipient as the next victim.
- The recipient is requested to contact the FBI in London to assist with the investigation.
It is not uncommon for an Internet fraud scheme to have the same overall intent but be transmitted containing variations in the e-mail content, e.g., different names, e-mail addresses, and/or agencies reportedly involved. See our related top story on the hitman scam.
Please note, providing any personal information in response to an unsolicited e-mail can compromise your identity and open you to identity theft.
If you have experienced this situation please notify the IC3 by filing a complaint at http://www.ic3.gov/.
Due to the threat of violence inherent in these extortion e-mails, if you receive an e-mail that contains personally identifiable information that might differentiate your e-mail from the general e-mail spam campaign, we encourage you to contact the police.
E-MAILS CONTAINING THREATS AND EXTORTION
12/07/06—We have recently received information concerning spam e-mails threatening to assassinate the recipient unless the individual pays several thousand dollars to the sender of the e-mail.
The subject claims to have been following the victim for some time and was supposedly hired to kill the victim by a friend of the victim. The subject threatens to carry out the assassination if the victim goes to the police and requests the victim to respond quickly and provide their telephone number.
Warning! Providing any personal information can compromise your identify and open you to identity theft.
If you have experienced this situation, please notify your local, state, or federal law enforcement agency immediately. Also, please notify the IC3 by filing a complaint at http://www.ic3.gov/.
