The Oneida County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday made the public aware of a new text messaging scam that demands a ransom to be paid to call off an assassination placed on the receiver of the message.
Several people have reported receiving text messages from unknown sources that say they were hired to assassinate them, according to a news release issued by the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office.
The scammers say in the text messages they would be willing to spare the victim’s life if they pay a ransom fee, deputies said.
Personal information, such as home addresses, are included in the threatening messages, deputies said. The personal information was likely obtained by these scammers through internet searches, they said.
The sheriff’s office encourages anyone who receives these threatening messages to not panic, to not respond, to not click on any links within the text and do not provide any personal banking or financial information back to the sender.
Police ask anyone who receives any of these threatening messages to contact the sheriff’s office at 315-736-0141.
Staff writer James McClendon covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? Reach him at 914-204-2815 or jmcclendon@syracuse.com.