An increase in scams tied to unclaimed life insurance policies has led the Palm Beach Police Department to issue a public warning.
In a July 23 alert, the department warned that scammers are impersonating attorneys and falsely telling people they can claim part of a deceased person’s policy. Scammers often send letters that appear to be from legitimate law firms, claiming they have an unclaimed life insurance policy belonging to a deceased client, the town said.
These letters often claim that recipients are entitled to part of the policy because of a shared last name or nationality with the deceased.
The scammer often insists on secrecy and pressures the recipient to respond quickly, asking for personal information or money to process the claim, the town said.
Scams involving unclaimed life insurance policies have prompted a warning from Palm Beach Police.
The town is urging recipients not to respond to the letters.
“Legitimate companies will never ask for sensitive information in this way,” the town said in its alert.
Recipients are asked to report the attempted scam to town police by contacting the non-emergency number at 561-838-5454, the crime tip-line at 561-227-6464, or filling out the online confidential crime reporting form on the town’s website.
The town has received “multiple” reports of scam attempts related to life insurance policies, but officials are unaware of anyone who was victimized, Police Department spokesman Sgt. Michael Ogrodnick told the Daily News.
Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Scams tied to life insurance prompt warning from Palm Beach Police
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