The University of Arkansas and other universities are being targeted by a menacing new email scam that threatens the recipient unless a payment is made.

The message informs the recipient that an order, or "hit," has been put out to end their life and that the sender has decided to provide an avenue, in the form of payment, to prevent this from happening. The payment is requested in bitcoin or other crypto currency.

If you receive this type of email, take the following steps:

1. Do not respond.
2. Do not delete the message.
3. Call the University of Arkansas Police Department at 479-575-2222. UAPD will provide instructions on next steps.

Report all other suspicious email messages to abuse@uark.edu. If you have any questions, contact the IT Services Security team at security@uark.edu or call the IT Service Desk at 479-575-2905.