I did not receive this from the Internet! i have all of the documentation to back up a legitimate claim.?

These scams are extremely pervasive. While normally they come via the internet, and are horribly spelled, etc, I have received some of these in the US Mail as well. How they get my address is unknown.

Regardless of this: Some simple steps that you absolutely MUST do to protect yourself:

1) You must NOT send them any money of any type whatsoever.

2) You should contact the Nigerian embassy in Washington, DC, and ask them for a reference for an attorney in Nigeria. Do NOT allow them to have an attorney contact you. Obtain the information from them, and then contact that attorney.

3) Provide the attorney in Nigeria, (or preferably a US attorney who works in Nigeria) with the information you received.

4) DO NOT SEND THEM MONEY. DO NOT WIRE MONEY.

DO NOT SEND MONEY FOR TAXES, PROCESSING FEES, ETC.

5) If there are legitimate taxes to be paid from the interitance, they can be paid in Nigeria and you can be sent the remainder. Any attorney's fees can be paid from the remainder of the estate.

6) DO NOT accept a certified check and then wire part of the check back for "additional fees". If you accept a certified check, contact your bank to determine how long you should wait before the check has been fully negotiated and is determined to be valid.

The bottom line: Something that seems to be good to be true usually is. This smells like a scam. If it is true, then my condolences on your family's loss.

If there is some reason for you to believe this may be true, such as your knowledge of your heritage going back to Nigeria or having family members who may have moved there recently ... then you should consult a lawyer. If it seems to be a scam, do not do anything until you get ALL the legal documentation for this and do not pay them any money for it ... and then speak to a lawyer.

You should be able to handle it here. You may need a Nigerian lawyer.

I sure hope it is not a scam. Sorry about your relative.

When in doubt about such or other questionable proposals, please seek clarification from the Embassy or from the US law enforcement agencies.

u should b able to handle it, unless of course there is a request for u presence in Nigeria, for some sort of validation that ur the actual person!!

This is 100% scam. Report it.