‘Someone wants you dead.’ Washington sheriff warns of frightening text messaging scam

Authorities in eastern Washington are warning people that scammers are trying to scare you out of your money by pretending to be hired assassins, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

The sheriff’s office has received a few reports about unsolicited text messages claiming the sender was paid to kill the recipient.

But because the hit man says he believes the recipient is “innocent,” the victim gets a chance to “pay some fees to spare your life,” a screenshot of the message attached to the release says.

“My duty as I am texting you now is just to KILL/ASSASSINATE you,” the photo shows. “Someone wants you dead by all means, and the person [has] spent a lot of money on this … Get back to me now if you are ready to pay some fees to spare your life.”

The sheriff’s office recommends that anyone who receives the text should ignore it and report the information to the Federal Trade Commission.

“These predators are tech-savvy, can be very convincing, and are usually based in another country,” the release says. “Their plan is simple; contact numerous people and tell their story to play on people’s emotions until they find their next victim.”

This story was originally published February 10, 2021 at 5:34 PM with the headline "‘Someone wants you dead.’ Washington sheriff warns of frightening text messaging scam."