The French Government has warned the public to be aware of a financial scam involving a “fake hitman”.
Authorities say that a number of French citizens have received emails claiming to have come from a trained assassin who had been paid to kill them.
The “killer” then offers to forego the contract and reveal the identity of his client – but only if the recipient pays them a sum of money.
“If I don’t receive money from you, I will complete my mission flawlessly,” one email sent by one self-styled assassin calling himself “The Angel of Death” reads, complete with a picture of the Grim Reaper in the corner.
? [#ALERTE #Cybersécurité] Vagues de #mails de #menace de #mort/#agression par un prétendu #tueur à gages
⛔️ C'est une #arnaque pour vous soutirer de l'argent !
1⃣ Ne paniquez pas
2⃣ Ne répondez pas
3⃣ Signalez
?️ Pour en savoir plushttps://t.co/U18uwQAFwb#Escroquerie
— Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr (@cybervictimes) July 11, 2023
Despite the terrifying nature of the message and its macabre clip art, recipients have now been told by French authorities they have nothing to fear as no one has actually been killed “so far” for not paying up.
“This is a scam attempt that aims to scare you and arouse your curiosity to extort money from you,” the French Government’s cybercrime division said in a statement.
Authorities added that recipients should refrain from responding to the “assassin’s” email and should instead notify the country’s Ministry of the Interior through its Signal Spam reporting service.
Cybercrime officials added that anyone who had fallen victim to the scam should gather as much evidence as they could regarding payments to the scammers before filing an official complaint with the local police, gendarmerie brigade or public prosecutor.
They added that anyone who had payed up following the emails could be classified as a victim of extortion, a crime carrying a maximum penalty of €100,000, and seven years in prison.
