The savvy internet user keeps abreast of the news when it comes to email and internet scams and schemes. Being wary and informed is the best way to avoid identity theft, fraud and financial loss. As consumers become aware of the old scams, the thieves concoct new ones. Often the emails purport to be from banks and government agencies.

These two scams reported on the FBI website stretch the imagination:

The first threatens the life of the recipient. The sender claims to be a hit-man who was hired to kill the email recipient but in exchange for several thousand dollars will call off the killing. The sender of the email threatens to carry out the killing immediately if the recipient goes to the police and demands a quick response and a telephone number to be provided. The FBI warns against responding to this email in any way or providing any personal information.

The second is a twist on the first but purports to come from the FBI in London. The email states that an individual was recently arrested for several murders in the US and the UK and that information was found on the suspect identifying the email recipient as the next name on his hit list. It further states that the email recipient should respond to help in their investigation. This email is a scam and does not originate with the FBI.

For more information on these email scams and how to report them, visit the FBI website.