Re: Scam Inheritance Letters

Any letter, phone call, Email etc that doesn't tell you where the sender is physically..ie an address where they can be visited and spoken to in person..is a scam. YOu can bet on it. Anything that sounds too good to be true probably is (too good to be true) and isn't (true)I don't believe anything any more. And I stay safe.

Re: Scam Inheritance Letters

That's a good philosophy to have keezoy - it's sad that we have to feel that way isn't it?

There is an address and telephone number on the letter plus the name of a company of lawyers. When I googled the company name it came up as a proper company and the person who had sent the letter was pictured as the head of the company, with a photo and information on his qualifications as a lawyer. There were pictures and notes on other 'lawyers' in the company too - to all intents and purposes it looked legitimate. It seems to me that it is quite a sophisticated scam. However, being a cynical person I was not taken in - if it looks too good to be true etc as you say. Upon further research I discovered that many of these scams originate in Spain and are organised by Nigerian con-men.

Re: Scam Inheritance Letters

not just letters we get them by phone as well. Just today had one pretending to be BT Openreach with a very thick Indian accent guy on the other end. He got a good old English F.O from Sue

Re: Scam Inheritance Letters

Anything I get saying I am owed money, I know is a scam. No bugger has ever given me anything.

Re: Scam Inheritance Letters

It is almost always from Nigeria. I recall being quite miffed not to get one. Then I did! Success of a sort. Never reply, by the way.

Re: Scam Inheritance Letters

The letter is in the bin now - a shame really I could have had some fun with 5 million euro

Re: Scam Inheritance Letters

Or five million Naira, probably around a pound sterling.

Re: Scam Inheritance Letters

Could your husband’s details have been garnered from an electoral register?

You can now opt out of having your details from the electoral register on the open register, if you haven’t already done so, to avoid them being accessed by marketing companies etc but that wasn’t always the case in the past.

If some unscrupulous scammers have got hold of an old voters’ roll, they may be using the name and address details from it.

https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters...oral-register/

My mother-in-law used to receive letters like this from the USA - we could never work out where the scammers got her name and address from but I know that marketing companies use the electoral register and also some companies and charities buy or sell customer database lists for third party marketing purposes, which scammers may get hold of.

I always look out for those tricky tick boxes which dictate what companies and charities can use your details for.

Re: Scam Inheritance Letters

Thank you for that - I really don't know is the answer but it could well be. I am aware that we can opt out of the full register but am not sure whether we actually have done that. I will check!

Re: Scam Inheritance Letters

Margaret there are many ways to get your name and address, there are actually lists circulating bought and sold by spammers.

I have even had 2 letters in the post with an 'official stamp' from a police station in Australia about my son's unpaid parking fines, he has never been to Australia so they just went in the bin