The 'Hit Man' email scam has reached Georgia and DHR is offering presentations and tips on telemarketing scams

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) started warning the public about the ‘hit man’ scam early in 2007, and recently the scam showed up in the Coastal Georgia Region of the state. In the scam, an individual writes an email 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 he gets a reply from someone requesting that he stop his threats, the scammer gets more aggressive in his messages.

The Georgia Department of Human Resources Division of Aging Services (DAS) is offering presentations around the state on how to avoid becoming a victim of telemarketing scams. To schedule a free presentation in your area, call DAS’ Elder Rights Team Leader at 404-657-9589.

"We want to educate people on ways to avoid becoming a victim of fraud," said Maria Greene, Director of DAS. "We have trained staff doing presentations on telemarketing scams."

DAS offers the follow tips to avoid becoming a victim of the ‘hit man’ scam:

Do not respond in any way.
Do notsend any money.
Keep the message and contact local law enforcement.
Report the threat to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), which is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), online at http://www.ic3.gov. IC3 receives, develops, and refers criminal complaints regarding cyber crime, and provides an electronic reporting system for filing a complaint involving criminal Internet activity online.
Spread the word about the scam to other Internet uses.
For more information on how to avoid telemarketing scams or to schedule a presentation on the topic, call the DHR Division of Aging Services’ Elder Rights Team Leader at 404-657-9589.

For information on services available to older adults in Georgia, call 1-866-55-Aging (1-866-552-4464).
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