NIBLEY \u2013 Utahns are receiving messages and letters about unclaimed money from a deceased relative, or at the very least, someone that shares their last name. But it\u2019s an inheritance scam aiming to steal your financial and personal info.<\/p>\n
Mallory Bowen received such a message on the ancestry website, FamilySearch.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was like, \u2018Hey we have like a whole bunch of money for you, and we found out that you are the only person that could obtain this money,\u201d Bowen said.<\/p>\n
The sender told her he was an accountant for a guy named Vincent Bowen. Vincent and his entire family died in a car crash in France six years ago. But he\u2019s got over 9.6 million pounds in a U.K. bank \u2013 that\u2019s almost $13 million. If Mallory Bowen poses as Vincent Bowen\u2019s next-of-kin, that money is hers. Sort of.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re like, \u2018We want to have half of it but you can have the other half,\u201d Bowen said. \u201cMy question was like \u2018Well then, why can\u2019t I get the full thing? If I\u2019m like the legal heir of this money, why can\u2019t I get all this money?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
She had to act now, the man wrote. Otherwise, the government will hold onto that fortune.<\/p>\n
Like any college student or heck, anyone, Bowen could use the $13 million. But by then, this felt scammy to her. To double check her gut she called me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can trust you guys, but I can\u2019t trust these crazy people,\u201d she laughed.<\/p>\n
On the rise<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an old scam known as an inheritance scam, and it has resurfaced recently. We have heard from several viewers who\u2019ve received similar inheritance letters or messages. Sometimes the sender says they\u2019re a banker or a lawyer. Sometimes, it\u2019s an unclaimed insurance policy as opposed to a big inheritance. Sometimes, the sender asks for money upfront for fees. Sometimes, they\u2019ll offer to split the fortune, with some of the money earmarked for a charity.<\/p>\n
But that inheritance? It doesn\u2019t exist. It\u2019s a con to pry your personal info or your money out of you. Or both.<\/p>\n
So, if a letter or message like the one Mallory Bowen got turns up in your email or in your mailbox \u2013 don\u2019t respond. It\u2019s an inheritance scam. And keep a tight grip on your info and your money.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just a scam, that\u2019s all it was,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t give him any money, so I feel good.\u201d<\/p>\n
How to protect your money and your identity<\/p>\n
You should know crooks love using trusted platforms to find their targets.<\/p>\n
In a statement, FamilySearch told us:<\/p>\n
\u201cFamilySearch is vigilant in protecting the patrons of its free online services and encourages them to also stay vigilant of any suspicious attempts by others trying to access personal information, either by email or online. Phishing or other malicious behavior is a violation of FamilySearch\u2019s terms of use and will result in such actors being blocked from FamilySearch.\u201d<\/p>\n
FamilySearch says if anyone contacts you about an unexpected inheritance, block and report them.<\/p>\n
In the chat window, click the three-dot button in the upper-right hand corner and from the menu that appears, select \u201cReport Abuse.\u201d More information on how to block a user can be found here.<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n