Inheritance / unclaimed funds scam

The inheritance scam is one of the oldest variants of advance-fee fraud. A "lawyer," "estate executor," or "heir locator" contacts you claiming a distant relative or stranger who shared your last name has died and left you an inheritance. To claim, you need to pay legal fees, transfer taxes, "anti-money-laundering charges," or courier costs upfront.

The inheritance is fictional. Fees keep growing. Many victims pay several rounds before realizing.

Real heir-locator services exist, but they recover from documented unclaimed property records (state databases) and typically take a percentage of recovered funds — never upfront fees.

• A "lawyer" or "executor" contacts you about an inheritance you didn't know about.
• The deceased shares your surname but no documented family relationship.
• Upfront fees required to release the inheritance.
• The case is in a foreign country (UK, Nigeria, Hong Kong, Switzerland common variants).
• The "lawyer" uses a free email domain.
• Documents look official but have inconsistencies — wrong agency names, generic seals.
• Pressure to keep the matter confidential.
• Requests for copies of your passport and bank account.

1. Real estate inheritances are handled through US probate court, not by surprise phone calls or emails from overseas lawyers.
2. Check state unclaimed property databases at unclaimed.org — these are real and free.
3. Verify any "lawyer" or "executor" through the relevant bar association.
4. No legitimate inheritance requires you to pay fees upfront. Fees are deducted from the inheritance at distribution.
5. Apply the rule: if you don't know the deceased, you're not their heir.

• Contact your bank or wire service to attempt recall.
• Report to the FTC and IC3.
• Place credit freezes if you shared SSN.
• Block the sender. Don't engage with follow-up calls about "additional fees."
• Watch for follow-on recovery scams.

• Do not pay fees to claim an inheritance from someone you don't know.
• Do not share passport, SSN, or bank info with unfamiliar overseas "lawyers."
• Do not keep the matter secret because the caller asks.
• Do not engage with "recovery agents" who appear after the loss.

• FTC: reportfraud.ftc.gov — the broadest US fraud intake; reports flow to thousands of law-enforcement agencies.
• FBI IC3: ic3.gov — the right destination when the scam is internet-enabled (phishing, BEC, romance, crypto).
• CFPB: consumerfinance.gov/complaint — for complaints about banks, money transmitters, payment apps, credit cards, debt collection.
• IdentityTheft.gov — if any identity information (SSN, driver's license, account credentials) was shared.
• Your bank or payment platform. Call the number on the back of your card or use the app's in-product help. Time matters — wires can sometimes be recalled within hours; ACH and Zelle are harder but worth trying.