The Belgian Centre for Cybersecurity (CCB) received 330 reports on Wednesday morning via Safeonweb about suspicious mail on behalf of a "hitman" in the space of an hour. For €4,500 in bitcoins, he promises to spare your life.
"Your life is in danger," reads the subject of the email. Once the email is opened, a "hitman" claims he has been commissioned to kill the recipient by someone the reader "calls a friend".
The email also states that the hitman has been paid a large sum of money to kill the reader but if they transfer €4,500 in bitcoins within 48 hours, he will spare their life. A similar e-mail is circulating in French, from 'kill001@mission.com' and signed by 'Ange de la mort' ("Angel of death").
A spokesperson for the CCB clarified to Belga News Agency that the email is a scam. "A lot of people realised it right away on Wednesday morning. Via Safeonweb, 330 reports came in about it in an hour."
The CCB does often see threats pop up where someone pretends to be a hitman, and calls it the "hitman scam." The centre asks people not to respond to the messages, not to make payments or pass on personal information, to delete the mail immediately and to warn friends and family about the scam.
Whether and how many people made a payment is not known, but anyone who transferred money should contact their bank as soon as possible. If the threats persist, Safeonweb recommends contacting the police.
