Inheritance scam

A sudden financial windfall could be life-changing for most people. Who doesn’t dream about winning the lottery, making it big somehow, or receiving a large inheritance from a long-lost relative? It’s such a common fantasy that tons of screenwriters and authors have used it as the plot of their movies and books. 

However, this trope is also used in more nefarious ways, as well. Con artists frequently appeal to people’s hopeful nature by tricking them into believing a dead relative has left them a fortune. This is called an ‘inheritance scam’. 

How Do Inheritance Scams Work?

With this type of con, a scammer will typically reach out to you via email or possibly physical mail. They’ll pose as a lawyer or executor of the estate of a recently deceased distant relative that you will not have heard of. The scam artist will claim that you are the sole beneficiary and are due to receive a large sum of money. 

From here, the scammer will usually inform you that in order to receive your inheritance, you must make a small payment. The amount is usually minor, no more than $50, and is explained to cover the costs of handling and administration. This will be one source of money for the con artist, however, it’s actually not the primary part of the scam. 

Receiving the fee is not the main goal of the scammer. Instead, they’re usually after your identity or bank account information. Once you’ve made the requested payment, they’ll ask for your bank details so they can wire you the full inheritance. However, if you provide this to them, they’ll simply steal all of your money. 

What Makes Inheritance Scams Convincing?

There are a few reasons that people fall for this type of scam. For one, the scammer often includes personal information in an email or letter that makes it seem more legitimate. If they have your email, name, and address, that’s a lot more convincing than just a random message that starts with “To whom it may concern.” The scam artist does this on purpose and usually purchases large lists full of personal data so that they can target many people. 

Inheritance scams also are framed in an official way. The scammer pretends to be an attorney, which is a very formal and official position that a lot of people are inclined to trust. Many people also have limited legal knowledge, so it’s harder to tell if someone is faking that they are a lawyer. Plus, lawyers sometimes do reach out to people about a long-lost relative’s inheritance. It’s just very rare and usually not many millions of dollars. 

People also tend to get tricked by this type of scam because they want it to be true. The scammer knows that many people feel like money is the main thing that is missing from their life. Con artists appeal to this desire because hope can make people a little more quick to believe. 

What Should You Do If A Scammer Contacts You?

Never respond to a message from a scammer. This can be very dangerous because it helps them retrieve more information and can aid them in stealing your identity, even if you don’t supply your bank information directly. 

There isn’t a lot more that you can do besides ignoring the email, but you can try letting the Federal Trade Commission and the Internet Crime Complaint Center know about the scam. Additionally, if they are posing as a representative of an actual law firm, you can contact the real attorneys to inform them that their likeness is being used. However, scam artists don’t always use real law firms’ names, they sometimes make them up, so this may not be an option. 

How Can You Tell If Something Is a Scam?

There are a few tell-tale signs of an inheritance scam. For instance, you probably won’t recognize the name of the dead relative or the details won’t add up. While it’s technically possible that someone you don’t know would leave you a fortune, it’s highly unlikely. A good rule of thumb is to trust your gut and to proceed with caution when you see red flags. 

Inheritance scams also typically are presented as if they are from a law firm. Sometimes, the name of a real attorney’s office will be used, but it’s also very common for the scammer to invent a law firm. Therefore, if you google the name of the firm and nothing comes up, it’s probably a scam. 

You probably will also notice that an inheritance scam letter will contain many strange grammatical errors. You might attribute this to the con artist having a first language other than English, which can be the case, but the mistakes are typically put there on purpose. They’re a tactic used to intentionally indicate that the letter is a scam. 

So why would a scammer warn you in this way? The short answer is they’re weeding out people who will waste their time. These con artists will contact many, many people will the same template letter. They know that only the people who are truly gullible will wind up falling for the entire scam, so those are the people they want to focus on. 

If you’re still not sure if something is a scam, or you just want to be extra positive, the best way to check is by using SocialCatfish. Simply input the name of the person contacting you, or their email address, into the search bar. SocialCatfish will pull up all of the connected social media accounts and internet data on the person so that you can tell if they are really who they say they are. It’s quick and easy and is the best way to be sure. 

How to Find Out if Someone is a Scammer

When someone sends you a message claiming to be a lawyer or long-lost relative, there is one way to find out if they’re telling the truth. All you need to do is enter the phone number or email address they contacted you from into the search bar below. This will tell you whether or not they’re someone who can be trusted. Run your first search today.