(WISN) - WASHINGTON COUNTY, Wis. — Investigators are warning of an inheritance scam hitting Washington County.
Last month, a resident received a letter in the mail claiming they are set to inherit $75 million from a long-lost relative, who died in a horrific crash. It's a relative they've never met.
"This transaction is 100% risk-free," the letter said. "I assure you it will be handled in accordance with proper inheritance claim procedures by a reputable lawyer."
The letter writer then asks for contact information.
Unlike other scams, the letter does not specifically ask the recipient to send any money upfront, but investigators said any sort of response could still be dangerous.
"Often what will happen is they will set up, try to get communications over to an encrypted app like WhatsApp or Signal, something that they can communicate and kind of remain anonymous," Washington County Sheriff Lt. Tim Kemp told WISN 12 News on Friday. "The scammers play a long game. So they're willing to put the work in on the front end, and however long it takes."
Kemps noted that scammers often target older individuals, and the emergence of artificial intelligence makes scams like this more believable.
"If it's too good to be true, it probably is," Kemps said.
The inheritance letter's recipient did not fall for this scam and instead sent it to investigators. The sheriff's office recommends alerting them to these scams so they can keep track of trends.
By Hannah Hilyard
February 13, 2026
