TRADING standards officers are warning people to be on their guard against Internet scams promising a false inheritance.
The latest scam discovered by the Middlesbrough Council team is an e-mail from someone claiming to be a South African solicitor tracing relatives of dead clients.
The e-mail says the search for family members had been unsuccessful and so the sender promises to split the money, on a 60-40 basis, with the recipient of the e-mail as they have the same surname as the dead person.
Trading standards officers are advising people to hit the delete button on their computers rather than try to cash in on the promised inheritance.
Councillor Barry Coppinger, executive member for community safety and leisure, said: "Don't be taken in. Not only is the proposal illegal, but you can be sure that the promised riches won't be coming your way.
"In fact, you are the one likely to end up out of pocket."
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