This week's death threat

Okay, so it's fairly clear by now that, at least for the moment, this will be a space for the occasional miscellaneous post that doesn't fit anywhere else I usually post. But that's cool. At least this is Google-able.

One of the things Google and other search engines are useful for is for quickly checking scams or other possibly alarming messages to see what's behind them. Recently I've received a nastier version of the Nigerian scam, one that instead of claiming that you're about to get millions of dollars (which inevitably involves various fees you have to pay before you supposedly will receive it), claims that you're about to be killed, unless you pay protection money. They scrape web pages looking for contact information (including addresses and phone numbers) and then try emailing them hoping that some will be scared enough to send them money.

My copy of the scam was sent out via 193.93.97.67, an overseas address that has also been used to send out "next of kin" and accommodations-booking scams, according to Google searches. It uses a Yahoo address as the return. (I've already notified security there.) The text appears to be similar to those used in other reports, so I'm posting it here. Hopefully other folks who get messages like this will find this page, or others making the scam apparent, when they feed passages from the subject or body into a search engine. (Basically: don't worry, you're being threatened from someone bulk-mailing these from another continent. Nonetheless, it is a death threat and extortion attempt, so do report it to the ISP being used as the return address, and to appropriate security/law enforcement authorities. Although remote extorters are unlikely to be able to do anything to you, note that some people that traveled to Nigeria in response to the more typical scam *have* been murdered or held for ransom there. And be mindful that if you put your contact address on a public web page, it can be found by anyone, including unsavory characters.)

Anyway, here's the text, with some redactions of personal information. (The info I'm redacting can be found elsewhere, but why make it easy for more scammers?) There were some HTML links in the HTML version, but they didn't go to anything directly associated with me or the letter.

Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2007 12:35:36 -0700 (PDT)
From: MR JEFF DON 
Subject: Be More Careful.
To: [My email address - JMO]

Listen John Mark

Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center
[My work address and phone numbers - JMO]

I am very sorry for you, is a pity that this is how your life is
going to end as soon as you don't comply. As you can see there is
no need of introducing myself to you because I don't have any
business with you, my duty as I am mailing you now is just to
KILL you and I have to do it as I have already been paid for
that. Someone you call a friend wants you Dead by all means, and
the person have spent a lot of money on this, the person also
came to us and told me that he want you dead and he provided us
with your name ,picture and other necessary information's we
needed about you. So I sent my boys to track you down
and they have carried out the necessary investigation needed for
the operation on you, and they have done that but I told them not
to kill you that I will like to contact you and see if your life
is Important to you or not since their findings shows that you
are innocent. I called my client back and ask him of you email
address which I didn't tell him what I wanted to do with it and
he gave it to me and I am using it to contact you now. As I am
writing to you now my men are monitoring you and they are
telling me everything about you. My dear do you want to LIVE OR
DIE? As someone has paid us to kill you. Get back to me now if
you are ready to pay some fees to spare your life,
$20,000[TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS] isall you need to spend You
will first of all pay $10,000 [TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS] then I will
send the tape to you and when the tape get to you, you will pay
the remaining $10,000[TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS]. If you are not ready
for my help, then I will carry on with my job straight-up.
WARNING: DO NOT THINK OF CONTACTING THE POLICE OR EVEN TELL
ANYONE BECAUSE I WILL KNOW.REMEMBER, SOMEONE WHO KNOWS YOU VERY
WELL WANT YOU DEAD! I WILL EXTEND IT TO YOUR FAMILY, INCASE I
NOTICE SOMETHING FUNNY. DO NOT COME OUT ONCE IT IS 7M UNTIL I
MAKE OUT TIME TO SEE YOU AND GIVE YOU THE TAPE OF MY
DISCUSSION WITH THE PERSON WHO WANT YOU DEAD THEN YOU CAN USE
IT TO TAKE ANY LEGAL ACTION. GOOD LUCK AS I AWAIT YOUR REPLY .

JEFF