(MUNICIPALITY OF GREY HIGHLANDS, ON) – Grey County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is urging all residents to be vigilant should they receive a letter or an email from someone claiming to be a lawyer and representing the estate of a deceased person in another country who just happens to have the same last name as theirs.
The Pitch: You receive a wordy letter or email message from a stranger seeking your assistance in moving large amounts of money, often millions of dollars. You are promised a significant percentage for little or no effort on your part for simply providing your bank account details. You may even be provided with an overseas phone number and asked to indicate whether or not you are interested so that alternate plans can be made should you decide not to participate.
The Facts: Beware of persons looking for your assistance in moving large amounts of money and to fulfill the role of trustee or heir. Legitimate estates do not solicit trustees or heirs in this manner and do not promise to carry out the exercise through “the back door”. The inheritance scam could result in a takeover of your accounts and funds. In another scheme, you may be asked to pay a fee up front in order to collect your so-called inheritance.
Recently, a Grey Highlands resident received a similar letter from a law firm in Malaysia requesting his assistance to redeem an inheritance of over 9 million dollars which would be split 50/50. The complainant recognized this to be a scam and notified police.
For more information on fraud, call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or http://www.antifraudcentre.ca.