Death Threat Scam

What is a Death Threat scam?

Death threat scams come in all different forms, but the underlining message is usually that the scammer is pretending to be a hitman who has been hired to take you out. They will then say that if you contact them within a certain amount of time, they will then work with you to stopping the people who paid them.

In the example here, we can see that the scammer first makes an attempt to isolate the victim and then proceeds to intimidate them and rush them. These are 3 very common signs of a scam. The scammer wants you to think less clearly and decide irrationally.

After you reply to the scammer, they will then explain that you can pay them a smaller amount in credit cards or by doing some type of mule task.

How can you stay safe from a Death Threat scam?

Like many scams sent via text message, it is always important to first take a moment to relax and think clearly. If you can see the 3 signs of this being a scam, then you can rationally think that this is fake. Why would a hitman want you dead? Why would a hitman who is paid a large sum make a deal with you?

The best case of action is to block this number and report it to ic3.

Lastly, note that some scammers can get your information from Facebook or other online sources. This does not mean that if the scammer knows your name or birthday that it is a more legitimate threat, it just means they did a Google search on you.