Wisconsin inheritance scam warning, fake law firm letter
Contact 6: Fake inheritance scam
Wouldn't it be great to inherit an unexpectedly large amount of money? The Wisconsin Division of Consumer Protection says what sounds like a dream come true, could actually be a nightmare.
MILWAUKEE - A distant relative had millions of dollars, and you are the heir. The Wisconsin Division of Consumer Protection said it sounds like a dream come true that could become a nightmare.
How it works
Why you should care:
A scam letter circulating in Wisconsin claims the recipient may inherit an unclaimed life insurance policy.
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"This is just that enticement to throw people off their emotional, rational thought process," said Michelle Reinen, administrator of the Wisconsin Division of Trade and Consumer Protection.
The letter states it is from a lawyer. It says their client has died, and the recipient might be the heir.
"It indicates they can't find a specific, direct heir, so they're searching across family members in order to find distant relatives," Reinen said.
Dig deeper:
If people look closer, the letter has typos. It was postmarked from Canada, yet gives an address in Georgia.
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"You shouldn't have to hand over your information to receive information about who this could potentially be," Reinen said.
It is all a ploy for personal information, like banking and Social Security numbers. In this case, the person refused to visit the website or call the phone number given before confirming with the state that it was a scam.
Portions of this article were formatted using A.I. FOX6’s Jenna Sachs and an editor reviewed it for accuracy and tone prior to publishing.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the Wisconsin Division of Trade and Consumer Protection.