Palos Park Elected Official Receives Threatening Email

In a 21st century version of a poison pen letter from La Cosa Nostra, a Palos Park elected official received a threatening email from a so-called hit man who claimed he’d been hired to kill him.

Daniel Polk received the threatening email at home on Wednesday, from a sympathetic hit man named "Lami Ben." Polk is the commissioner of police and public safety for Palos Park, and was one of many recipients that received the email.

It is not believed that the commissioner is being specifically targeted because of his elected position.

The subject line of the email reads, “I want to kill You.” The email is intended to frighten recipients into paying large sums of money to call off the hit.

Palos Park Police Chief Joe Miller said that the email has been sweeping the United States and Europe since January. The extortion email first surfaced in 2006, but apparently is making a comeback.

A UK version of the email tells recipients that after the hit man is paid, he will helpfully reveal the name of the person who placed the hit, the Daily Mail reported in January.

The email that surfaced in Palos Park this week is slightly less literate than the UK version. Both appear to be written by someone that does not have a good grasp of the English language:

“Your Friend paid me $35,000 USD to kill you. I do not know why your friend want to kill you. I do not want to do it but i have been paid for this operation.

The only thing that will make me not to kill you is for you to cooperate with me.

Reply if you need more details with 24 hours i will use my gun.

I have all your contact so do not doubt me.”

“We’re not aware of anyone falling victim to it,” Miller said. “(These scams) are never going to stop, but if one or two people fall prey, they’ve made $70,000.”

At the Palos Park police awards ceremony on Wednesday, Polk joked that he was worth a lot more than $35,000.