WARNINGS HAVE been issued about fake emails being sent to unsuspecting recipients claiming they have inherited a large sum of money.
Emails declaring unlikely “distant relative funds” are always suspicious but look to be legitimate because they are often personalised, use legal language and persuasive text to lure victims into replying to the emails.
These fraud fiddles are known by authorities as “Boiler room thefts” because the perpetrators use high pressure techniques to persuade victims to hand over money.
The latest victim of a boiler room scam, according to the BBC, was an elderly man from Worcestershire who lost 78,000 pounds to email fraudsters who told him a relative had left him 4.5 million pounds and they needed the cash to unlock the inheritance fund.
Detectives in the UK have warned people to “exercise extreme caution” when they are contacted by anyone claiming a relative has left them money.
To protect yourself from these email scams then first think if you have ever heard of the relative you are being told about. If you haven’t heard of them then you can quickly check the validity of a corporation by running the company name through an internet search engine.
If you are unable to find any information about the business then it is very likely that it is fraudulent.
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