**Do not send the $1,000 at this stage.** A demand for an upfront payment to “release” an inheritance is a strong sign of an advance-fee scam. The [U.S. FDIC specifically warns about inheritance requests involving taxes or fees paid in advance](https://www.fdic.gov/consumer-resource-center/2020-10/beware-its-scam).

Even if your grandmother really left you money, someone could be impersonating her bank or lawyer. Before paying:

- Contact the bank through contact details you independently verify. Avoid the phone numbers and links in the payment request.
- Confirm the inheritance and the requested fee with the executor handling your grandmother’s estate or an independently verified estate lawyer.
- Do not share banking passwords, verification codes, or identity documents with the person requesting payment.

**If you already sent money, contact your bank’s fraud department immediately** and ask whether it can stop or recall the transfer. Recovery is uncertain, so act quickly. See the [FTC’s guidance for people who paid a suspected scammer](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-you-were-scammed).

Who is asking for the $1,000—the bank, a lawyer, or someone else—and have you already paid?