Police Warn Of Threatening Scam Texts

The threat was received by at least one WBAL-TV 11 employee.

Maryland State Police and local law enforcement are getting a number of calls about threatening text messages, and they're urging residents not to respond to them.

The texts all come from the same email address--isigman@conejousd.org. It reads as follows: ""I've been paid to kill you but wish to spare you. Inform the police or anyone else you die. To be spared, contact vsdky@hotmail.com immediately via email"

If you reply to the email, law enforcement officials say, it downloads everything from your cell phone. Instead, you'll want to delete the text.

Baltimore City and Baltimore and Carroll counties are among the local jurisdictions where the scam has been reported.

Text message and email extortion hoaxes popping up today. *Note: Do Not Open suspicious emails or texts. Could compromise your identity. https://t.co/lV9ivUQG4G — T.J. Smith (@TJSmithMedia) December 27, 2016

Maryland State Police say the texts were first reported in Worcester County.

Detective Sgt. Mike Luppiwok of the Worcester County Sheriff's Office told WBAL NewsRadio 1090 that his office has received 30 calls about the text since this morning.

He says detectives have learned the text is tied to a "Trojan Horse" virus, and the virus is downloaded onto a person's smart phone, when responding to the text. He says the virus captures all of the contact information from your phone, and then the virus is sent to your contacts.

He says the text may have originated in India, but detectives are still investigating.

His office has also received calls from Florida and Tennessee from people who have received the text.