Miskin Law, based in Peterborough, Ontario, is scrambling to get its name off a scammer’s website after a letter was sent to a number of U.S. residents claiming the recipient was in line for a multi-million-dollar inheritance.

The letter offered to help the recipient recover US$10 million from the account of a deceased person who may be related to them. The letter offered to do the work to get the money in exchange for a 45 per cent fee. The only variation in the letters was that the deceased's last name in every letter was the same as the letter recipient.

More than 100 people got in touch with Miskin Law

More than 100 people contacted the real Miskin Law, but an unknown number of other people may have called or emailed the schemers pretending to be Miskin Law.

The real law firm has responded to everyone who contacted them, letting them know that it was not a legitimate letter and people should not respond.

One person who contacted Miskin Law also responded to the letter and was told that the law firm would need to prepare an affidavit to proceed with their claim for the money.

Phishing scheme preys on people’s greed

"I suspect that at some point when someone felt they were close to being paid they would be asked to send the scammers money to help get funds released. That is how this classic "phishing" scheme usually works," the real Murray Miskin said in a news release.

"[Schemers] prey on people's greed in an effort to get their victim to be part of something fraudulent, and then instead of rewarding them for helping with the fraud, they steal from those who want to get rich."

The Miskin Law firm is now warning of the scheme on its website and on social media.