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New e-mail scam using FBI name

A new Internet scam promising cash for responding to a document request claims to be from
FBI Director Robert S. Mueller. The top government cop's request is followed by a second e-mail threatening that "failure to comply will result in charges being brought against the individual by the FBI."

"This e-mail is a hoax," the FBI said in an alert to consumers that was posted Tuesday on its Web site. "Do not respond."

The same e-mail address, which was not released, was used to send both messages, the FBI said.

The first, claiming to be penned by Mueller, advises recipients that they are eligible for a large sum of money that they can claim with an FBI Identification Record and a Certificate of Ownership. The e-mail includes official information, taken from the FBI Web site, that defines what the records are and how they can be obtained.

The follow-up e-mail appears to be sent from a lower-level FBI official, who demands that a fee be sent to "FBI Nigeria" which will issue the certificate.

"At this point the message becomes more threatening, stating the FBI has investigative programs which can track down those who fail to provide the requested documentation," the FBI said on its Web site.

The spammed scan is the second in as many months to appear to be from Mueller. In September, authorities were alerted to a circulating e-mail, which referenced Mueller's name and office address, that urged recipients to send money to secure prizes won in an international lottery.

I always delete emails that aren't from friends, family or sites I recognize

A very wise thing to do.

Hello Brother David,

I just wanted to tell you how much we enjoy having you with us. Fellowship between Brothers and Sisters in Christ encourages and strengthens all of us. It's nice to know that we will all spend eternity together with JESUS. It's also nice to know that this world is not our home - that our Citizenship is in Heaven. Until then, I pray that GOD gives all of us the strength and guidance to do HIS WILL until we go to our real HOME in HEAVEN.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Romans 8:37-39 NASB  But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I have forwarded a few to the FBI, saying that I have not responded to them, they are for their files.  That way, they can release information.

I don't open emails that I don't know who they are from either.You never know what is attached to an email.

but what if it is your long lost cousin with a south african attorney (or new Deli) thay wants you to claim the inheritance so you can split it ;D

Brothers and Sisters,

One would think that most folks should know there are tons of scams and con games by email and on the Internet. As an example, the Nigerian scam has been around for a long time, and they keep sending it because it still works. There are many other scams much like the Nigerian scam with some of the wording and locations changed. It's beyond belief how well these still work. Spam filters can even be trained to recognize a pattern like the "Nigerian email scam" because there are so many of them.

There are just as many con games and scams involving "YOU WON". You don't remember entering any contests, but "YOU WON" the lottery or whatever non-existent contest of some type.

The huge number of identity theft scams and con games are the absolute worst. People pretending to be "PayPal" is a long-running and continuing scam. They've even gone to the trouble of trying to duplicate web sites and make you think it is completely official. I would imagine this has just about ruined the real "PayPal" because folks don't know who they are really dealing with. There might be some fixes for many of these problems already, and many more might be on the way. As an example, encrypted keys have promise for the future in financial transactions on the Internet. If you do any banking or other financial transactions now, I would assume they have fairly sophisticated methods to protect you. There is also several recent con games and scams involving the fictitious use of "ebay".

The pretending to be a law enforcement agency or other government agency on the Internet is diabolical, and many people will fall for these con games and scams. The average person should simply know that the IRS, FBI, Treasury Department, and law enforcement agencies don't do business with citizens over the Internet. The only business they do on the Internet is sting-type operations to catch criminals, gather information for prosecutions, gather information on potential terrorists, and other legitimate law enforcement activities.

A good rule of thumb is to never give anyone your birth date, social security number, address, telephone number, or other specific identifiers that could be used for identity theft over the Internet.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Psalms 103:17 NASB  But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children's children,