I got this today from a friend and checked it out with Snopes, who says it's real:

One of our UC Information Security Officers was talking to an agent at the local FBI office this morning and the agent said that they are seeing an increase in the hitman email scam. This scam started in December 2006 but is picking up steam as well as scaring a lot of people. I have included some details below if you get this email or if any of the people in your department receive this email. Please assure your community that this is a money scam and that there is no contract out on them or any member of their family. A copy of the hitman email is pasted below.

=============== Information Security Alert =======================

Imagine opening your email inbox and reading a message from an alleged assassin - claiming you're the target. It sounds like something out of a horror movie, but it's been happening in real life to hundreds of people. The gist of the email - pay the hitman thousands of dollars, or die. The FBI reports receiving 115 separate complaints since the hitman spam was first spotted in early December 2006.

Special agent John Hambrick, head of the FBIs Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), cautions that recipients should not respond to the hitman email, as doing so "just sends a signal to senders that theyÂve reached a live account (and) also escalates the intimidation."

The hitman emails often include personal information - one such email even included the recipient's daughter's full name in an attempt to legitimize the correspondence.

But as frightening as this might seem, such personal details are trivial to obtain in today's computer-connected world. According to special agent Bill Shore, supervisor of the computer crime squad in the FBIÂs Pittsburgh field office, "Recipients should not be overly spooked when scammers incorporate their intended victims personal details in their schemes", noting that "personal information is widely available."

Copy of a hitman email:

Subject: Be safe in this new year

Good day,

I want you to read this message very carefully, and keep the secret with you till further notice, You have no need of knowing who i am, where am from, till i make out a space for us to see, i have being paid $50,000.00 in advance to terminate you with some reasons listed to me by my employers, its one i believe you call a friend, i have followed you closely for one week and three days now and have seen that you are innocent of the accusation, Do not contact the police or F.B.I. or try to send a copy of this to them, because if you do i will know, and might be pushed to do what i have being paid to do, beside, this is the first time I turned out to be a betrayer in my job.

Now, listen, i will arrange for us to see face to face but before that i need the amount of $80,000.00 and you will have nothing to be afraid of. I will be coming to see you in your office or home determine where you wish we meet, do not set any camera to cover us or set up any tape to record our conversation, my employer is in my control now, You will need to pay $20,000.00 to the account i will provide for you, before we will set our first meeting, after you have make the first advance payment to the account, i will give you the tape that contains his request for me to terminate you, which will be enough evidence for you to take him to court (if you wish to), then the balance will be paid later.

You don't need my phone contact for now till am assured you are ready to comply good.

Lucky You.

================ End Information Security Alert ===================