Tricksters have stooped to a sinister new low, sending out death-threat e-mails which demand money to spare the victim's life.

One e-mail circulating in Bahrain is headlined 'Someone You Call Your Friend Wants You Dead'.

It purports to come from a hitman contracted to kill the recipient, but says he will spare the intended victim in return for $12,000 (BD4,536).

The sender, passing himself off as Nnaeke Olando, even offers to betray the person who ordered the hit, by selling the intended victim a tape as evidence.

It is the most sinister of a spate of Internet cons, with tricksters trying to fool victims in order to make easy money.

The advice from experts is the same - ignore it or, if you are worried, tell the police.

Anyone who took this latest e-mail seriously would be understandably frightened, since it is so directly threatening.

'I felt very sorry and bad for you that your life is going to end like this if you don't comply,' it says.

'I was paid to eliminate you and I have to do it within 10 days.

'Someone you call your friend wants you dead by all means and the person has spent a lot of money on this.

'The person also came to us and told us that he wants you dead and he provided us your name, photograph and other necessary information we needed about you.

'Meanwhile, I have sent my boys to track you down and they have carried out the necessary investigation needed for the operation, but I ordered them to stop for a while and not to strike immediately because I just felt sympathetic and something good about you.

'Right now my men are monitoring you, their eyes are on you and even the place you think is safer for you to hide might not be.

'Now do you want to live or die? It is up to you.'

Anyone receiving such e-mails should not be intimidated and should never send money, says Bahrain Internet Society (BIS) president Ahmed Al Hujairi. He said people should tell the police and called for a special department to be set up to track menace e-mails.

Anyone in doubt may also call the society, said Al Hujairi. The society's telephone number is 17822099.

'This e-mail is definitely a spam and people are warned not to go for it,' he said. 'They should not believe such e-mails as these are from hackers.

'These people have nothing else to do except sending mails to various recipients thinking at least some will get back to them.

'If they send millions of such e-mails per day, at least few would definitely get back to them and in this way, they will be able to make some money out of it.

'I never heard of such an e-mail before. People reported about various lottery mails, but not ones that threaten lives.

'I think the Interior Ministry should start a hotline number and investigation department now, where people can report such e-mails.

'My concern is that some recipients will believe what they read in this e-mail, feel threatened and send the money.

'If there are any worries about such an e-mail asking for money and or threatening to do harm, we should be called for confirmation. 'We don't want anyone to fall victim to this and feel afraid in their own homes.'-TradeArbia News Service