Lincolnshire Police have issued a warning after a report of an attempted email scam in the County. The warning comes after a local resident received an email from a man claiming to have been hired as a hit man to kill him. The sender demanded $3,000 to call off the arrangement.
Lincolnshire Police are hoping to raise awareness of the scam to prevent any potential victims.
Detective Sergeant Ian Jarman, Head of the Economic Crime Unit for Lincolnshire Police wanted to reassure residents and raise awareness of the scam. “Although the claims in this email seem ridiculous, they can also have the potential to cause great distress and might even persuade some people to consider taking the threats seriously. This type of e-mail has become popular by the scammers trying to get money from their victims. The wording is exact to previous ones sent to others around the world, including Lincolnshire.”
“This is just a variation of the Spanish lottery scam, where people are asked to send money in order to receive their winnings. If a person ever sends the money they do not receive anything, other than having their details passed onto another scammer, as a target.”
“These types of email are being progressed by Action Fraud on behalf of the National Fraud Authority from the national perspective. I ask that anyone who receives such correspondence to forward it to email@actionfraud.org.uk.”
DS Ian Jarman’s summarised his advice to Lincolnshire residents. “Do not send any money, do not even reply to the e-mail or open any attachments. These scam e-mails occur many millions of times a week. If you receive any similar e-mails asking for money or your personal details, please forward to the Action Fraud team.”