(WTTV/WXIN) — The Federal Trade Commission is sending out a warning about a scam involving fake lawyers and non-existing life insurance policies.
Not only does the scheme claim to take advantage of someone who has died, but it also targets several minority communities.
According to the FTC alert, the agency is receiving reports from people in Latino, Korean and Vietnamese communities about a letter from a “lawyer” in Canada.
The letter states that the lawyer has a deceased client with an unclaimed life insurance policy worth millions of dollars. Since the letter recipient has the same last name and nationality as the deceased, they could add their name to the policy and split the money with the lawyer. And maybe a charity.
In order to cash in on this “golden opportunity,” all you have to do is email the “lawyer” right away.
First of all, according to the FTC, you can’t cash in on a stranger’s life insurance policy. Secondly, there is no life insurance policy. Once you email the lawyer/scammer, they will start asking for your personal information, money or both.
The only good thing in this situation is that the life insurance policy is not real, which means the crook is not actually stealing money from the loved ones of someone who has died.
If you get this letter, the FTC says you should not respond to it. However, you should share the information with friends so they won’t fall for it. You should also report it to the FTC on their website.
