PHOENIX -- A new scam is making its way into Valley e-mail inboxes, the FBI said.

"A number of people in the Valley have received e-mails that [say] alleged contract killers are going to take action against them unless they pay a fee," FBI Special Agent John Iannarelli said.

The swindle, which the FBI said they traced to the same people behind the Nigerian 419 e-mails, is known as a "phishing scam" -- a scam that attempts to trick its targets into giving up personal information.

"They're fishing for info," he said. "They want your Social Security number, your date of birth, your bank accounts."

Mindy Lang said her friend almost took the bait.

"She was afraid; she's a young woman that lives alone," Lang said. "She thought that it was a real threat to her, that someone was watching her."

Iannarelli said this reaction is not uncommon.

"Sometimes people who get these messages are so intimidated by the potential threat that they're ready to give up any info that the sender of the message ... asks for," Iannarelli said.

If a person receives an e-mail like this, Iannarelli said the recipient should "delete the [message], and don't respond."