Locals urged to be on guard for hit man scam

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) first began warning the public about the e-mail scam in early 2007, and now, the scam has shown up in the coastal region of Georgia.

In the scam, an individual writes an e-mail threatening to kill the recipient if he does not pay him thousands of dollars. The person claims to be a hired assassin or hit man, who knows where the recipient lives and works. If the scammer gets a reply from someone requesting that he stop his threats, he gets more aggressive with his messages.

The Georgia Department of Human Resources' Division of Aging Services (DAS) offers the following tips on how to avoid becoming a victim of the hit man scam:

.. Do not respond to the e-mail in any way.

.. Do not send any money.

.. Keep the message and contact local law enforcement.

.. Report the threat to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) on-line at http://www.ic3.gov. Established by the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), IC3 receives, develops, and refers criminal complaints regarding cyber crimes and provides an electronic on-line reporting system for filing a complaint involving criminal Internet activity.

.. Spread the word about the scam to other Internet users.

For more information on how to avoid being scammed, call the DAS' elder rights team leader at 1-404-657- 9589.

Concerning other services available to older adults in Georgia, call 1-866- 55-Aging (1-866-552-4464).