Man Receives Scammy-Looking Inheritance Letter, Ends Up With $800K In Bank Account

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Man Receives Scammy-Looking Inheritance Letter, Ends Up With $800K In Bank Account - The Consumerist



If you're like us, you've been on the receiving end of more than a few e-mails falsely claiming that you've inherited millions from a relative you didn't know you have. All you have to do is hand over your bank account info -- and have it drained rather quickly. One young man in Nashville says his inheritance is the real deal, though experts are waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The man said he got a letter about a month ago stating that he was to inherit around $16 million from an aunt in the UK he'd never heard of. He tells local TV station WSMV that he's already put $800,000 in his account, with which he's purchased a new car.
"I have gotten a lawyer to walk me through the steps and make sure everything is legitimate, and I'm currently working with him right now," he tells WSMV.
But the president of Nashville's Better Business Bureau says he shouldn't be spending that money just yet:

I really think in this particular instance, this individual is being used. He's an unwitting accomplice in a major international crime and fraud, and it isn't even revealed yet how he's being used...
You can bet that if this individual has given access to his bank account, his checking account number and his personal identity, he is already a victim in many other ways.
The BBB president says the certificate given to the man as proof of his inheritance is similar to ones used in other scams. She says she is working with the FBI to figure out if this is indeed a scam.
Anyone want to give odds on whether or not this inheritance is legitimate?
  • Profile picture of the author Roaddog
    Well, if anyone should know about scamming people it is the BBB.

    On another note, if it's a scam where did he get the 800,000?

    Must be an elaborate scam.

    You can scam me like that all day long.
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  • Profile picture of the author DeusX
    lol, sounds cool i'm checking my spam-inbox NOW ;P
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  • Profile picture of the author jcruz
    How much of a scam can it be, if he has the 800,000 in his hands. Screw that, scam me all day.
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  • Profile picture of the author garyv
    I hate stories like this. If this story gets around, I'm going to have a million friends and relatives calling me to fix their computers soon.
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