Scared and Worried

[User57327259]

Looking for any advice about this
I am posting here because I can't think how to try to sort things out. My 2 brothers and I are acting as representatives for a deceased relative.
Looking through things we have found stuff that would indicate that some younger relatives have been doing some strange things using the relative's house as their address. There seems also to be criminal activities.
There are applications for various loans, using other people's job titles and addresses. There are transfers from the person to younger people. There are records of buying high-value things from electronics at several £100s to other items at several £1000s. Lots of things like this, too many to go into, but it seems to be a constant assumption that an old person should be buying stuff for younger people. These are things we do not think the dead person would agree to had they been well. We have found what we think might be criminal activities which cant be explained to you because it could be identifying. Further given that these people are involved in criminal things this could turn really nasty.
These are also the people who are asking was I left anything? when will I get money? can you give money now? I have said I have not found stuff yet so can't answer. I do know, they are left nothing. Worrying this could go nasty too.
We all live separately and have partners and also some DCs each. We have each noticed some animosity since we began avoiding answering questions.

I don't know what to do apart from avoiding people as much as I can.

I’ve no experience but thought commenting might bump your thread till someone else comes along.

My only advice is, as you suspect criminal activity you should ring the police non emergency number and ask for some help.

Hope you figure it out.

Just say it's all going through the solicitor.

If you are acting as a'representative of the deceased', do you mean you are executors of the will?

Yes we are executors.
It is not just the legal side of it, it is the emotional bits of finding our relatives being so demanding before and after death.

I would get a solicitor involved and defer all decision making to them. If relatives ask about money direct them to the solicitor.

Obviously there are some bigger issues here, but I don't see a problem with being clear about the will and simply telling people that they are not beneficiaries.

Solicitor and police. I think a firm "No the estate isn't settled yet, as I'm sure you're aware I am dealing with the loss of my aunt/mum so I won't be able to answer any more questions about this" then "as I've said, I won't be able to answer any more questions about this" and ignore.

It does sound like a police matter however the people who frittered your deceased relatives money sound as though they are not the type to want to get on the wrong side of, so if you are genuinely concerned of a backlash I agree about keeping things very formal. Refer to the solicitors, keep your head down. They were obviously used to being able to obtain money freely from a source that’s now no longer there, so the transition will be tricky, until they find some other vulnerable soul to torture.

Sadly this kind of situation tends to bring out the very worst in people.

Def seek legal advice
Good luck x

Thanks for everyone's views.
It is horrible to think that the people who did this are some of our closest relatives. They are acting out of the ordinary for our family.

Sheshootssheimplores:- you have said my random thoughts I am concerned about who the next target will be. I am the major share inheritor. My brothers know why and are in agreement with the reasons given. It is comforting to think that another person can see what I see to be the potential future.

It is a bit embarrassing to have to try to explain to a solicitor. I think they will have dealt with such things before but this upsets me.

A solicitor won’t be there to judge, I’m sure they will have seen it all (and much worse) before. They can be a neutral third party and a way for you to shield yourself from your relatives’ behaviour - “I don’t know what’s going on, it’s with the solicitor”, “That’s just what the solicitor told me to do” etc.

I’m sure they will be able to advise the best way forward to protect yourself, legally.