Fake Inheritance Legal Fee Scam
Attack Trigger
Unexpected windfall from a distant relative bypasses skepticism through greed and curiosity
What Attackers Want
$1,000–$20,000 in escalating fees
How This Attack Works
Victims receive professional-looking emails from a fake law firm or bank claiming a distant relative has died and left them a large inheritance. To release the funds, victims must pay escalating legal fees, taxes, and bribes. No inheritance exists.
Red Flags to Watch For
- ✗Sender is a lawyer or bank you have never heard of in a foreign country
- ✗You have no knowledge of the relative who supposedly died
- ✗Requires upfront legal fees or taxes before any funds are transferred
- ✗Fees escalate repeatedly ("one more payment") with no end
Known Malicious Domains
These domains have been associated with this attack. Never click links going to these addresses.
- inheritance-claim-legal.comMALICIOUS
- estate-funds-release.netMALICIOUS
- international-probate-office.comMALICIOUS
Glance automatically blocks emails from domains on this list. Domain list is not exhaustive — attackers register new domains continuously.
How Glance Stops This
- Domain similarity analysis catches lookalike sender addresses at millisecond speed
- SPF / DKIM / DMARC validation flags authentication failures before you ever see the email
- VirusTotal + Google Safe Browsing checks every link in real time
- Urgency language detection scores the email higher for manual review
- Known malicious domain blocklist updated continuously from live scan data
Don't wait to get hit.
Glance scans every incoming email against 12 detection layers — including the exact tactics described above — before it reaches your inbox.
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