Just Delete It!

By: George A. Crocker Jr./Eyewitness News 9 | WNCT
Published: March 12, 2008

This week, a viewer named Lucille passes along an e-mail that isn't about greed or good intentions, it’s about fear, plain and simple.

The “Pay Up or Die” email first surfaced in December of 2006 and prompted the Federal Bureau of Investigation to issue an alert in January of the following year.

The e-mail threatens recipients with bodily harm and death if they don't pay thousands of dollars to the sender.

A newer version appears to be more targeted and is sent using popular e-mail services like Gmail, Yahoo, and Hotmail among others.

Just Delete It!

Responding to this type of e-mail just notifies the sender they've reached a live account and usually escalates the level of intimidation.

To see the FBI’s original alert on this email or to get more information, just type in the Keywords: Just Delete It right here on WNCT.com.

Thanks again to Lucille for reminding us to drop this one in the recycle bin.

If you'd like us to feature an e-mail or piece of spam that you've received, e-mail it to justdeleteit@wnct.com.