FTC warns letters about unclaimed life insurance money are scams
The FTC says letters from supposed law firms about unclaimed life insurance money are scams and warns recipients not to share sensitive information.
The Federal Trade Commission warned on July 9, 2026, that letters claiming people are heirs to unclaimed life insurance money are scams.
According to the FTC Consumer Alerts post by BCP Staff, people are reporting letters from supposed law firms about unclaimed life insurance money. The letters say a person with the recipient’s same last name died and left a life insurance policy worth millions. They also propose splitting the proceeds between the recipient, charity organizations and the firm.
The FTC said the letters are not from a lawyer but from a scammer. If someone responds, the scammer may try to collect Social Security numbers, bank account numbers and other personal details. The agency also said the scammer may try to take the victim’s money.
The FTC said the life insurance policy or inheritance does not exist.
The alert did not include the specific steps consumers should take if they receive one of these letters in the extracted text, but it did direct readers to sign up for FTC Consumer Alerts by email.
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Editorial note: This article was prepared with AI assistance and requires editorial review before publication.
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