Police warn of new scam Beware if this is in your letterbox
Alleged lawyers are using a new scam to try to get money from bona fide citizens. Now the police have issued a warning.
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- Supposed lawyers from abroad are trying to convince people of an inheritance worth millions with letters that look legitimate.
- Now the Schaffhausen police are also issuing a warning.
- Those affected should take action.
With legitimate-looking letters, alleged lawyers from abroad are trying to convince people to inherit millions. Anyone who falls for this scam does not receive any assets, but suffers damage that can lead to financial ruin.
So far, the scam has mainly occurred in the canton of Schaffhausen. Now the canton's police have also issued a warning. Two elderly men in the canton of Schaffhausen have received such letters and subsequently filed a complaint with the Schaffhausen police.
In the letter, the senders pretend to be lawyers for a deceased person from the Canadian city of Toronto. The lure of this well-known scam is an alleged inheritance worth millions, which must be claimed as soon as possible, otherwise the money will go to the state.
Always new reasons for payments
As soon as the supposed heir agrees to this, the cantonal police say that new sums of money are constantly being demanded under a variety of pretexts.
These range from administrative fees of a few hundred francs, followed by taxes of several thousand francs still to be paid, to expert fees for completely absurd matters, such as a mandatory anti-terrorism report.
As long as the person contacted pays, the fraudsters keep finding new reasons why the inheritance cannot yet be paid out. The never-ending demands are often backed up with official-looking documents.
With the million-dollar inheritance in sight, many victims keep on paying, sometimes until it is no longer financially possible for them. Instead of being a millionaire, they are ruined.
You should take these measures
The fraudsters often pretend to be real law firms. An internet search then reveals that the law firm actually exists at the address given, which inspires confidence.
The Schaffhausen police advise extreme caution with such supposed messages of good luck. Such letters, faxes, e-mails etc. should be ignored and preferably disposed of immediately. You should also not try to make contact out of curiosity. The perpetrators are psychologically trained. There is a risk that you will be taken in by the scam after all.
You should also never transfer money or give out account details. Once you have been taken in, you should not make any further payments and inform the police.
There is also a similar scam at Postfinance. The bank warns against letters. You can read all about it here.
If you have received such a letter - contact blue News now.
