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Investment & crypto

Inheritance and advance-fee offers

An unexpected inheritance or large funding offer requires fees or sensitive personal details first.

See response steps Share this in a workshop
A woman using a smartphone beside books and printed material

If you have one minute

Pause, then verify independently.

A windfall without an established connection

Before paying

Do not engage with unsolicited windfalls

See verification steps →

If you paid or shared details

Stop paying supposed approval fees

See response steps →

Start with these three signs

  • A windfall without an established connection
  • Secrecy prevents verification
  • Payment demands keep escalating

How the situation unfolds

  1. Contact

    Purported legal letters, emails, or overseas messages.

  2. The lure

    An unclaimed fortune and a supposedly matching heir.

  3. The demand and outcome

    False identities and documents justify an initial fee, then repeated taxes and release charges.

Verify these things before paying

  1. Do not engage with unsolicited windfalls
  2. Check lawyers and institutions independently
  3. Do not send ID or banking details

Already engaged or paid?

  1. Stop paying supposed approval fees
  2. Tell your bank what was disclosed
  3. Preserve original emails and report

Contact your payment provider and local police promptly. The responsible institution must confirm whether a payment can be stopped, disputed or returned.

Keep these records

Emails and envelopes
Purported legal papers
Fee demands
Payment records

Keep originals and organise working copies. Never give strangers verification codes, banking passwords, private keys or seed phrases.

Original references

  • Federal Trade Commission (FTC)Publisher location：United States · EnglishOpen the original reference ↗https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2024/06/contacted-about-long-lost-relatives-life-insurance-policy-or-inheritance-its-scam

This page summarises public prevention guidance to help recognise methods. It is not an enforcement conclusion about a particular incident. Check the source page for its original title. Procedures and reporting routes vary by jurisdiction. Compiled October 2026.

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