Pennsylvania officials are warning of an email scam requesting recipients send money to receive a fake inheritance from a distant relative.
Officials said the scammers, posing as state employees, are targeting older residents.
“Scammers exploit trust and perceived authority to steal money – often from vulnerable individuals,” Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Michael Humphreys said in a release. “Please call us if a benefit or situation sounds too good to be true, because often it is.
“We strongly urge Pennsylvanians to connect with family, a trusted adviser or any of our agencies before engaging with individuals offering unsolicited prizes, benefits, or payments.”
In the incident reported to state officials:
An older resident received an email from a generic account resembling an official state email address claiming to be a representative of an alleged credit union located outside the United States.
The email indicated that a wealthy distant relative from another country had left a large inheritance in their name.
The resident was asked to pay upfront fees to release the inheritance. The fees would total hundreds of thousands of dollars over nearly a one-year period. The resident was told that the only resource that could provide assistance was the representative’s agency.
“Older adults are at increased risk of being targeted by scams due to savings accumulated over a lifetime of steady work,” Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich said. “These crimes can destroy carefully planned retirements and devastate families.
“Older adults being approached by anyone they don’t know with an offer of money or an emergency they need to act on quickly, need to stop and reach out to someone they can trust – and that includes their family members or a reliable community contact like their local Area Agency on Aging. Above all, never be embarrassed to reach out, because scams can happen to anyone.”
Officials offered these tips to protect yourself:
• Don’t respond to suspicious emails or texts.
• Don’t trust messages about winning money or getting an inheritance from someone you do not know.
• Do not feel pressured to act quickly or in secrecy.
• Check email addresses. Scammers can spoof emails, sending an email that looks like it is from a trusted source. Official emails from Pennsylvania state agencies always end in @pa.gov.
• Watch out for fake websites. Official Pennsylvania state websites end in pa.gov and will always display the commonwealth logo with the text “Official website of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania” on the top left corner of a web page.
• Pennsylvania agencies will not threaten immediate legal action or license suspension without proper notice.
What to do if you believe you’ve been targeted or scammed:
• Do not provide any personal or financial information.
• Do not send money. Hang up immediately if the call feels suspicious.
• Report the incident to Pennsylvania Insurance Department or Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities at 1-866-PAComplaint or through the commonwealth’s website at pa.gov/consumer.
• File a report with the state attorney general’s office at attorneygeneral.gov or 1-800-441-2555 or contact your local law enforcement agency.
Source: Berkshire mont
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