NEWS RELEASE
SOUTH SIMCOE POLICE SERVICE
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The South Simcoe Police Service wants to alert the public to a scam currently circulating in our communities.
Citizens have reported receiving letters in the mail about a family inheritance from a lawyer, personalized to each recipient and requesting bank account details.
This scam, known as an "inheritance scam," typically involves a fictitious story about a deceased individual who has supposedly left their estate to the intended victim. The scam usually begins with an email or letter telling the person that they are a distant relative of someone they never heard of. The letter or email suggests that the deceased person’s estate is awaiting distribution, and the law firm has been trying to locate relatives to inherit the funds.
Warning signs:
- You’re contacted about unexpected inheritance that amounts to millions of dollars, and you are listed as the sole beneficiary.
- You receive a letter or email that contains grammatical mistakes and typos, not just within the text but in the letterheads and logos as well.
- You are told that accessing the inheritance is complicated due to government regulations, taxes, or bank restrictions, and you must pay a fee and provide personal information to receive the money.
How to protect yourself:
- If you get a letter or email out of the blue from somebody who claims that you’ve inherited a fortune, the safest thing to do is to tear up the letter or delete the email — do not respond.
- Never share sensitive personal or financial information with someone you aren’t completely sure you can trust.
- If you think there’s a chance that the email/letter might be legitimate, consider your family history and see if the facts match up. Consult an attorney.
- Remember that legitimate law firms or executors don’t ask you to pay a fee in exchange for information about your share in an estate.
Report fraud to police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or visit their website to learn more about the latest scams and how to protect yourself at AntiFraudCentre.ca.
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