ll never ask you to send them money for a processing fee. If you believe you have been a victim of a crooked estate locator scheme, of if you received a notice saying that you are a recipient of an inheritance, contact your local postal service, Better Business Bureau, or State Attorney General’s office.

There are lots of consumer fraud schemes out there. It is up to you, the consumer, to educate yourself

If you received a circular in the mail from an estate locator describing that you received an inheritance, be careful. You could be the focus of a cunning scam artist.

It would be nice if you received a huge inheritance from a long-lost friend or family member. It does happen but not too often.

“Research specialists” is the term to describe these white collar criminals. However, they did not find you by doing research at all. You are simply a focus of mass mailings for many people nationwide. Thousands of people having the same surname receive a notice that a huge inheritance has been located in their names. Many of these people are suckered into mailing a fee around $30 or $40 for an estate report. This report will spell out where the inheritance is located and how they can claim it. The person running this scam may also offer to process the claim for yet another fee.

All the people on the mailing list receive the exact same information. If somebody on the mailing list does claim his right to the inheritance, the amount is usually very small and many times less than the fee they paid to claim it.

You can guard yourself against this scam by checking other sources before sending any money to an estate locator. Check with your family members about any recent deaths. You can also check with the local Better Business Bureau, the State Attorney General’s office, or the U.S. Postal Inspection service if there are any complaints regarding this kind of activity.

Remember that you should never have to pay a fee to find out about your share of an estate. Reputable law firms and executors of wills will never ask you to send them money for a processing fee. If you believe you have been a victim of a crooked estate locator scheme, of if you received a notice saying that you are a recipient of an inheritance, contact your local postal service, Better Business Bureau, or State Attorney General’s office.

There are lots of consumer fraud schemes out there. It is up to you, the consumer, to educate yourself

find you by doing research at all. You are simply a focus of mass mailings for many people nationwide. Thousands of people having the same surname receive a notice that a huge inheritance has been located in their names. Many of these people are suckered into mailing a fee around $30 or $40 for an estate report. This report will spell out where the inheritance is located and how they can claim it. The person running this scam may also offer to process the claim for yet another fee.

All the people on the mailing list receive the exact same information. If somebody on the mailing list does claim his right to the inheritance, the amount is usually very small and many times less than the fee they paid to claim it.

You can guard yourself against this scam by checking other sources before sending any money to an estate locator. Check with your family members about any recent deaths. You can also check with the local Better Business Bureau, the State Attorney General’s office, or the U.S. Postal Inspection service if there are any complaints regarding this kind of activity.

Remember that you should never have to pay a fee to find out about your share of an estate. Reputable law firms and executors of wills will never ask you to send them money for a processing fee. If you believe you have been a victim of a crooked estate locator scheme, of if you received a notice saying that you are a recipient of an inheritance, contact your local postal service, Better Business Bureau, or State Attorney General’s office.

There are lots of consumer fraud schemes out there. It is up to you, the consumer, to educate yourself

n running this scam may also offer to process the claim for yet another fee.

All the people on the mailing list receive the exact same information. If somebody on the mailing list does claim his right to the inheritance, the amount is usually very small and many times less than the fee they paid to claim it.

You can guard yourself against this scam by checking other sources before sending any money to an estate locator. Check with your family members about any recent deaths. You can also check with the local Better Business Bureau, the State Attorney General’s office, or the U.S. Postal Inspection service if there are any complaints regarding this kind of activity.

Remember that you should never have to pay a fee to find out about your share of an estate. Reputable law firms and executors of wills will never ask you to send them money for a processing fee. If you believe you have been a victim of a crooked estate locator scheme, of if you received a notice saying that you are a recipient of an inheritance, contact your local postal service, Better Business Bureau, or State Attorney General’s office.

There are lots of consumer fraud schemes out there. It is up to you, the consumer, to educate yourself

an estate locator. Check with your family members about any recent deaths. You can also check with the local Better Business Bureau, the State Attorney General’s office, or the U.S. Postal Inspection service if there are any complaints regarding this kind of activity.

Remember that you should never have to pay a fee to find out about your share of an estate. Reputable law firms and executors of wills will never ask you to send them money for a processing fee. If you believe you have been a victim of a crooked estate locator scheme, of if you received a notice saying that you are a recipient of an inheritance, contact your local postal service, Better Business Bureau, or State Attorney General’s office.

There are lots of consumer fraud schemes out there. It is up to you, the consumer, to educate yourself

ll never ask you to send them money for a processing fee. If you believe you have been a victim of a crooked estate locator scheme, of if you received a notice saying that you are a recipient of an inheritance, contact your local postal service, Better Business Bureau, or State Attorney General’s office.

There are lots of consumer fraud schemes out there. It is up to you, the consumer, to educate yourself to recognize what is and is not legitimate. Hopefully our advice will help you minimize becoming a victim to the crime of fraud or theft by deception.