This is my first ever post on here (that I can remember at least) that isn’t steampunk related. The reason I’m posting it on here is due to the severity of the email and because I have a much larger platform to warn as many people as possible. After you’ve read this, please share it around and make everyone aware.
I received an email the other day. It was a phishing email asking me for money, but it had taken a dark turn that I was obliged to inform the Police about it. We’ve all received emails from West African banks that are wanting to hide money in our accounts. Been told of a previously unknown relation dying in a plane crash who left us a huge inheritance. We’ve laughed at the Nigerian Prince wanting to give us money for seemingly no reason. These are typical examples of emails that are sent unsolicited to us to try and get our bank details. On the Steampunk Journal emails I must receive five a day that ask me to open an html link to track my order. I never use that email for ordering anything.
These examples can be brushed aside, but the recent one I received was much more macabre. It was from a sendee titled Serial Killer. The actual email address is much more placid but the Police don’t hold much hope of tracking it. It would have been pinged a million times before landing in my inbox.
The rest of the email went as follows:
Attention, 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 we are the members of the Deadly Networks in the world, which is responsible for the bombing of twin [ISO-8859-1?]tower’s in America on Sept. 11th and the bombing of London transport services on July 7th (AL-QAEDA NETWORKS WORLDWIDE),
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 who you called your family wants you dead by all means, and this person have spent a lot of money in this venture, This person came to us and told us that he wanted you dead, he had also stated that you have always make the highest profit whenever 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 this including bugging of your phones with satellite tracking devices and they have carried out the necessary investigation we needed for the operation on you, and if you doubt this information am going to give you all the necessary information about you back to you in your next reply so that you can believe me, and my boys are really on you but I told them not to kill you that I will like to contact you and see if your life is important to you and the one of your family. I called my client back and ask him of your 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 you this mail my men are monitoring you and they are telling me everything about you.
Now do you want to LIVE OR DIE? Since all program has be made and draw to kill you. Get back to me now if you are ready to pay some fees to spare your Life, $58,000 is all you need to spend in this process you will first of all Pay $38,000 and then I will send a tape to you which I recorded in every discussion I had with the person who wanted you dead and as soon as you get the Tape,
You will pay the remaining balance of $20,000. 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 TELLING 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 ABOUT YOUR TELLING THE SECURITY ABOUT IT BECAUSE A GOOD LOOK IS OUT YOU AT THE MOMENT. DO NOT COME ON UNTIL I MAKE OUT TIME TO SEE YOU AND GIVE YOU THE TAPE OF ALL 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
Wrong
This is just plain wrong. Using tragedies such as the Twin Towers and London bombings to try and get money from people. It’s a sick and despicable act. This guy claims he’s a professional. But he uses the name Serial Killer (which is different to an assassin, which he claims to be). He also capitalises certain keywords to keep my attention. Referring to associates as “my boys” makes this person sound like an amateur from a badly made mockney gangster film. He says they’ve been watching me and know all about me. However if that were true, they would know that I had no way of accessing $58,000. As soon as money is mentioned then the email loses all it’s potency.
What actually spurred me to contact the Police over it was a number of reasons:
- They used horrific terrorist events for financial gain.
- They’ve threatened my life – even if it’s a hoax, it’s still there.
- They’ve threatened the lives of my family “I WILL EXTEND IT TO YOUR FAMILY” and that just isn’t funny.
Deception
It’s extremely likely that the first time any of us encountered a phishing email, even if it was a split second, we all thought “I could be rich!” Then logic sets in and we realise it’s a rip off. This takes it one step further and – I’ve decided for me – it’s one step too far. That’s why I called the Police. I’m still waiting the follow up from them but I felt the need to get this out there. To let as many people know as I can what new hoaxes are on the horizon. Someone could fall for this out of sheer terror and that’s the idea behind it.
I hope this helps. Please share this as far and wide as you can. Alert as many people as possible to this new version of phishing.
Steampunk Journal 