Whistleblower readers report a resurgence in e-mail messages falsely claiming to be from FBI director Robert Mueller.
One of them, recently received by a man in Victoria, carries the letterhead of the FBI and the EFCC, Nigeria's anti-fraud police. It threatens him with arrest unless he pays $350 for a "clearance certificate."
There are many grammatical clues to its phoniness: it refers to "money laundry," and says "we presume you are law abiding citizen whom would not want to have scuffles with authority."
Still, the FBI saw fit back in 2008 to warn about these scams: "The FBI does not send out e-mails soliciting personal information from citizens." This month, the Oregon Department of Justice sent out its own warning about the $350 shakedowns.
Those who get the e-mails are urged to file a report at www.ic3.gov.
