"Sum 1 Paid Me To Kill You" by Madeline Ibarra

On Sunday, thousands of Australians were bombarded with emails, chats, and text message threats of death. The message stated that if the person who received the message and did not pay the amount stated, that someone would come to find them and kill them. Authorities say that they had never seem a threat on such a large scale across such a distance. The exact message read, "Sum1 paid me to kill you. Get spared, 48hrs to pay $5000. If you inform the police or anybody, death is promised." Along with the initial threat, the message also contained an email address on Yahoo where the money could be sent through. Police informed people to delete and avoid these messages and that no harm would be done. It has been said that senior citizens and people unfamiliar with computers and technology would be the people who were most intimidated and likely to fall for the message.
I can't wrap my mind around how the criminals obtain so many peoples contact information all across Australia. If I were to have gotten that message, I would first be scared, but with all the pranks and forward emails, think if off as a joke. I feel terrible for the thousands who got the message and were just terrified. The police should have an easy time tracking down the criminals with email and phone evidence from so many people.

source: http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/23/tech/australia-death-threat-text-messages/index.html