A letter arrives on official-looking letterhead. The sender is a law firm you've never heard of, often in another country. It says one of their clients recently died with no living heirs and a life insurance policy or estate worth several million dollars. After a long search, they say, your name came up, because the deceased happened to share your last name. They'd like to divide the money three ways: a share for you, a share for charity, and a share for the firm. All they need to release the funds is a bit of paperwork and a small "processing" or "legal" fee.

There is no dead relative. There is no policy. There is no firm. The Federal Trade Commission put out an alert on July 9 about this exact scam. The whole thing is built to pull a fee out of you, or worse, to collect your Social Security number, bank details, and a copy of your ID so they can steal far more than the fee.

The scam works because it's flattering and it's plausible. Your last name really is on the letter. The "split it three ways" offer makes it feel collaborative instead of greedy, so you don't feel like you're doing anything wrong. And a few million dollars is enough to make almost anyone read to the end. Once you reply, the "fees" never stop: a transfer tax, then a bank charge, then a customs fee, each one supposedly the last one before the millions arrive.

Here is the truth about real inheritances. When someone actually leaves you money, you find out through people you know and through a probate court, not through a surprise letter from a stranger who tracked you down. No legitimate lawyer asks you to pay a fee up front to receive an inheritance, and no real estate is settled by wiring money to a firm you've never met.

The rule: If a letter, email, or call says a stranger left you millions and you just need to pay a fee or "verify" your details to collect, it's a scam. Don't reply, don't pay, and don't send any personal information. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Source: FTC: Unclaimed life insurance money? It's a scam (July 9, 2026)

The fake inheritance letter is one branch of a much bigger tree. The same trick runs as a lottery or sweepstakes you don't remember entering, a "prize" you've won, a pile of "unclaimed property" with your name on it, a mystery tax refund, or a rich stranger who wants to share their fortune. Different costume, same script.

Three signals tell you any surprise windfall is fake, every time.

If a windfall message trips even one of these, stop. If it trips two, don't reply at all.

The rule: If you have to pay to get paid, or hand over your bank and ID to "verify," it's a scam. Real windfalls are free and come through channels you already trust.

Source: FTC: Fake Prize, Sweepstakes, and Lottery Scams

The 2026 World Cup is being played across the United States, Canada, and Mexico right now, and real tickets are scarce and expensive. That is exactly the pressure scammers feed on.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center warned about criminals spoofing official FIFA websites and selling fake World Cup tickets. The pattern is consistent. Fraudsters register lookalike web addresses that are one letter or one extension off from the real one (fiffa.com, fifa-tickets.org, worldcup-resale.shop). They buy sponsored search ads and post "extra tickets" in social media groups and marketplace listings. You pay, and you either get nothing, or you get a fake barcode that turns red at the gate after your money is long gone. The same crews run knockoff jersey and merchandise stores advertising 70 percent off a national team kit.

You can spot most of these in under three minutes. Type fifa.com into your browser yourself instead of clicking a search ad or a link someone sent you. Check the web address letter by letter before you enter a card. Buy tickets only through the official site and its official resale partner, never from a stranger's DM or a random resale site you found through search. And pay with a credit card, which lets you dispute the charge, not with a gift card, wire, cryptocurrency, Zelle, or Cash App, which are nearly impossible to claw back.

The rule: For anything World Cup, go straight to fifa.com and official sellers, and pay by credit card. If a deal on tickets or jerseys shows up in an ad, a DM, or a search result you didn't expect, treat it as a scam until you've verified it yourself.

Source: FBI IC3: Threat Actors Spoofing FIFA Websites

A call, text, or email arrives claiming to be from your local sheriff's office or courthouse:

"NOTICE: You failed to appear for jury duty. A bench warrant has been issued for your arrest. To resolve this and avoid being taken into custody, call this number immediately and pay the fine. Ref: FTA-4471."

They may know your name and address. They may send an "official" warrant as a PDF with a court seal on it. The voice on the phone sounds calm and bureaucratic, and gives you a way to make it all go away today: pay the "fine" right now by gift card, wire, payment app, or cryptocurrency.

No court works this way. The FTC put out an alert on June 11 about this exact scam. Real courts summon you to jury duty by mail, not by surprise text or call. Law enforcement does not phone people to warn them about their own arrest, and no real agency will ever have you settle a warrant with gift cards or crypto. The whole performance exists to scare you past the point of stopping to check.

Three things give it away. Real jury summonses and any real fine come by physical mail, never a text or email demanding you act within the hour. No court or police department takes payment by gift card, wire transfer, Zelle, Cash App, or cryptocurrency. And a genuine agency will happily wait while you hang up and call the courthouse back yourself, because the request is real; a scammer will fight to keep you on the line.

The rule: If someone calls, texts, or emails saying you missed jury duty and must pay now to avoid arrest, hang up. Don't pay, and don't give out any information. Look up your county court's real .gov phone number and call to confirm. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Source: FTC: Ignore calls, texts, and emails threatening to arrest you for missing jury duty