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You can’t cash in on a stranger’s life insurance policy — even if a lawyer says you can. The FTC has heard reports from people in Korean, Vietnamese, and Latino communities who got letters in the mail from a supposed “lawyer” in Canada. The letter looks like it’s from a law firm and offers an “easy way” to get money using someone else’s life insurance policy. But it’s a scam. Here’s how to spot it.

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Did you get a letter offering an easy way to cash in on someone else’s life insurance policy? It’s a scam. ReportFraud.ftc.gov

In the letter, the “lawyer” says they have a deceased client with an unclaimed life insurance policy worth millions. Because you (supposedly) have the same last name and nationality as the deceased, the “lawyer” can add your name to the policy and split the money between you, their law firm, and a charity. All you have to do, they say, is keep this information secret and email them immediately.

So what’s really happening here? There is no lawyer. It’s a scammer. And if you email them, they’ll ask for personal information. Or money. Or both. And that life insurance payout? It doesn’t exist.

If you get one of these letters:

  • Don’t respond. Never share your information with someone who contacts you and says they need it. And never send anyone cash or pay with gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency.
  • Share this information with a friend. You probably throw away these kinds of letters. But you may know someone who could use a friendly reminder to help them spot the scam. 
  • Report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Your report makes a difference: by telling your story to the FTC and to others in your community, you help others avoid the scam.

Want to stay on top of the latest scams? Get the FTC’s Consumer Alerts delivered to your email inbox. Sign up: ftc.gov/ConsumerAlerts.

Resources to share:

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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.

  • We won’t post off-topic comments, repeated identical comments, or comments that include sales pitches or promotions.
  • We won’t post comments that include vulgar messages, personal attacks by name, or offensive terms that target specific people or groups.
  • We won’t post threats, defamatory statements, or suggestions or encouragement of illegal activity.
  • We won’t post comments that include personal information, like Social Security numbers, account numbers, home addresses, and email addresses. To file a detailed report about a scam, go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

We don't edit comments to remove objectionable content, so please ensure that your comment contains none of the above. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. To protect your privacy and the privacy of other people, please do not include personal information. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission.

M.J.
August 21, 2023

The incredibly huge red flag that people never notice is that neither their name, or the name of the "deceased", are never mentioned in the letter/email. All they see is $$$.

JG
October 31, 2023

In reply to by M.J.

I received one of these today. Both my name, and the name of the supposed deceased were listed in the letter.

Lorenzo R
August 21, 2023

This scam has been circulating for years. We received a fax in our office that said this same thing because one of our attorneys had the same last name as a deceased, and he could potentially make millions. I threw the fax out.

Perhaps it would be helpful to let the public know that in order to make a claim as a beneficiary of an insurance policy, you would have to fill out a form provided by the insurance company and provide proof that you are the beneficiary who is listed in the policy. I think usually the beneficiary reaches out to the insurance company.

Delfa Gonzalez
August 21, 2023

Not I never get a letter about that.

Chris G
November 06, 2023

Got one of these letters today. Yup from a phony law firm in Canada. Exactly as advertised.
Remember if it sounds to good to be true IT IS!

DC
November 07, 2023

Just received one of these letters from a law firm in Atlanta, GA. I'm in Canada.

Dmitry L
December 01, 2023

In reply to by Bmorgan

I received one today, it is supposedly, from a law firm in Canada too.
Looks like I won a jackpot!!! (not really)

Louise Murphy
December 04, 2023

In reply to by Dmitry L

I received a letter from Linhoff, Sporer and Partners asking me to contact them to share an unclaimed life insurance policy with someone with the same last name. They have a website that I looked up.
Www.linhoff, sporer and Partner.

Smith D
December 04, 2023

Yep, I received one last week of November in Canada from a law firm in NY State addressed to my name as above. The deceased was Late Dr. Marcus D.....so you can see where I knew it was certainly a scam. Worst part is, I go to report it to OPP and they have no interest and give me antifraud number for RCMP. Their site isn't working and you can't leave a message. Sounds like we are very protected in Canada and ensuring our agencies are doing their best (sarcasm).

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