The Nigerian scammers seem to be out of fresh ideas to put to use and line their pockets, so they are reviving a classic phishing attempt. They are once again sending out threatening spam messages and asking people to pay large amounts of money if they want to get to stay alive. The only difference is that they are now asking for less ($9,000 not $40,000) and they are offering more time to gather that amount of money (10 days not 96 hours).

The message, which seems to be sent by someone going by the name of Mr. Jacks H. Killer, informs you that a friend of yours wants you dead within the next 10 days. But the hitman, who has already tracked you down, claims to feel "something good and sympathetic about you", so he is willing to let you live, as long as of course you provide him with appropriate monetary restitution. This is to say that for a total of $9,000 the supposed killer will not only spare your life, he will also reveal the identity of the friend who wanted you dead.

After you have received the threatening message you are supposed to contact Mr. Killer and for $3,000 he will send you a tape. After receiving said tape, which is supposed to contain footage of the person who wants you dead, you are supposed to send him an additional $6,000. It goes without saying that you are not to contact the police or any other law enforcement agency.

What you should do is delete the message and put the whole thing out of your mind. It is nothing more than a phishing attempt, a scammer's way of trying to take your hard earned money. If you feel that your life is really in danger, contact the police and inform them about the situation.

About 4 years ago, back in 2004, a spam message was circulating on the Internet claiming to originate from the International Assassinators and World Security Organizations and informed you that, unless you come up with $40,000 within four days, you would end up pushing up daisies. The bank account you were provided with was from the Standard Trust Bank, Victoria Island Branch, Lagos. Although the message seemed very serious, you couldn't help cracking a smile as you read that "you will be snipped" by these Nigerian hitmen.

In other related news, a similar death scam was circulating in Australia, targeting mobile phone users.