Scammers are sending emails with attached letters that appear to come from an employee of TD Canada Trust Bank, a real Canadian bank.  The letter carries the logo of the bank.  The letter, a copy of which is shown below claims that the person receiving the email is a long lost relative of a wealthy Canadian who died without a Will or close relatives and that the person receiving the email is a possible heir of a huge fortune.  I have blocked out the name used in the email of the Scamicide reader who received this particular email.

“My name is Miguel Mansour, Administrator within the Estate Management Department at TD Canada Trust Bank in Toronto, Ontario. I am writing to you regarding the estate of a late client of our bank, Mr. XXXX, a fellow citizen of your country who resided in Toronto until his passing in 2015.  Mr. XXXX unfortunately passed away intestate (without leaving a will) and without any identified heirs. Despite extensive efforts over the past decade to locate his family, no
rightful claimant has been established. As a result, his estate has remained dormant under my supervision.
At present, the estate account holds a balance of USD $15,245,000.00 (Fifteen Million, Two Hundred Forty-Five Thousand Dollars). Given the absence of direct heirs, I would like to discuss with you the possibility of being recognized as the next of kin to Mr.XXXX and lawfully presenting a claim to the estate. If this matter interests you, please reach out to me directly at miguel@mansourgroupe.com at your earliest convenience. Kindly confirm whether you would like to explore this opportunity further.
I look forward to your reply.
Sincerely, Miguel Mansour
TD Canada Trust Bank – Estate Management Department Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Email: miguel@mansourgroupe.com.”

If you respond to this email you are asked for personal information including bank account numbers and Social Security number which, if provided will lead to identity theft.  In addition, the scammer posing as a bank representative also asks for money to pay for taxes and fees related to the phony inheritance.

TIPS

The first indication that this is a scam is that the email of the scammer posing as a bank employee has no relation to TD Canada Trust.  While the letter contained the logo of the bank, it is a simple matter to counterfeit the logo.  Legitimate law firms and bank officers do not ask for upfront fees or request personal information through such emails.  If you receive such an email and have any thought that it might be legitimate (it isn’t), you can merely call the real bank and confirm that it is a scam.

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