Random letter arrived saying dad is a beneficiary to someone we've never heard of

[user1478639495]

has anyone else had this and could advise? dad received a letter this week saying that he is entitled to part of a ladies estate, him and his brother except his brother passed earlier this year. We haven't heard of this woman's name before, I have googled the solicitors who sent the letter an all looks legit, I've been in touch via email and again everything seems to be ok BUT we have been caught with a scam before and are extremely nervous of things like this, the other issue is we have 6 weeks to act but the letter arrived almost 3 weeks after it was sent so we are already short on time. They want bank details (acc no sort code) and form of ID.

Part of me thinks well how else would you notify you and what more can I do to check it's legit? the other part of me is thinking its so random its got to be a scam?

Advice stories welcome tia

Could you seek legal advice so they can do due diligence on the source? Eg. Identify the solicitor and check their credibility?

Call the solicitor's firm and ask them. Don't use the number on the letter, use the general number on their website, and ask if you can be put through to the solicitor handling the matter.

Call the solicitor at their official number that you find on their website, not at a number on any letter you have been sent, and check it out.

Have they explained why your dad is entitled, how he is related to this person? Does it sound feasible / any other family you could check with?

You could open a separate bank account for it, although I'm sure they could still do plenty of damage with a copy of some ID.

Is the solicitor SRA regulated ?

Call the number on their website if so.

I know two people this happened to. Both were left small amounts by distant cousins. One was left intentionally following a remembered act of kindness from childhood. The other was traced by heir hunters.
if you are worried it’s a scam, ask to be sent a cheque.

Is the solicitor in the UK? If so, can you go the firm and speak to them in person? What have they said about why your husband is a beneficiary - what is his alleged connection to the person? Can their existence/ death / relationship to him be independently verified?

Thirding the recommendation to phone the solicitor on the number on their own website. Unfortunately, scammer do fake solicitors' websites and emails - recent transactions I've had with solicitors have meant a follow-up phone call to confirm emailed info.

Have you checked the solicitor on the SRA (Solicitors Regulation Authority) website and contacted them via their verified contact details? You can also speak to the SRA if you suspect someone is impersonating a solicitor.

Ring and suggest you both visit the office to deal with the matter.

Sorry cross-posted with others and also assumed you are in the UK!

They can issue a cheque so won't need your bank details and its odd they don't want the sort code or bank name. I'd see if the solicitor is listed on the law site then contact them directly.

Any older relatives? My son was left a small amount in a will of someone he had never met. Totally legitimate as it was someone once married to a family member.

Sorry for a third post (it’s been a long day). The time pressure and requests for bank details are both red flags for me.

If you are in the England or Wales, I would suggest phoning the SRA tomorrow for advice on how to verify the solicitor is legit.

I hope it turns out to be genuine and you get a little windfall 😊

https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/fraud-dishonesty/bogus-fake-solicitors/

I’ve been contacted by an heir hunters company relating to a distant relative we’d never heard of.

Are you clear on why the deadline exists - is it because they want you to sign with them before another company gets you?

My recollection of signing up was that they will take a percentage of the estate - but three years later it’s still dragging on so the 6 week/3 week deadline sounds a bit suss.

Do your dad and his brother have common names? Maybe the solicitor has somehow traced the wrong person?

Is it an heir hunter company or 'normal' solicitor?

Have a look on Google Street view to check it's a genuine business on a high street and see if you can find them on companies house.

You could also tell us the company name and we'll help!

Just want to add, my Dad was contacted by heir hunters not one of the big well known ones, it was the estate of an unmarried uncle we think and there would have been about 30 cousins in the same level of the family tree as my Dad (he had about 10 aunts and uncles from the pre-war days when folk had huge familes).

Deep within their Terms and Conditions there was a clause that they would take a % in commission (fair enough) but if my Dad's share was less than their minimum commission fee, he would have to pay the difference.

Due to the estate being split 30 ways we didn't take it any further.

Just because the company exists doesn't mean the letter was actually sent from them.

OP needs to ring them on the phone number on their website.

I agree that the pressure to act fast sounds a bit suss.

Don’t give your bank details! This is a scam.

Things can sound like a scam but actually be real, so I'd get a solicitor to look into it.

I know you've emailed them but it's not clear if you understand exactly what their role is? Are they heir hunters or the solicitor acting on behalf of the estate? I think you need to establish this first so you can ascertain where they'll get their 'cut' from.
Also, if you've been scammed before, don't discount the possibility that your details may have been sold on by the scammers.

As you’ve already been targeted by scammers the chances of this being another attempt are much higher, so you’re right to be cautious.

If all the excellent due diligence suggested above shows it’s legit (though I’m sceptical due to the urgency and the request for bank details) then proceed with caution, though ask for a cheque, and if they want an ID check, tell them you won’t send docs by post or email but will happily attend their office instead.

I'd ring and say you are coming in person to the solicitors office and would like payment by cheque.

This can be real but if they start asking for fees, obviously it's a scam as if genuine would just deduct fees from the estate.

A relative inherited a few hundred pounds from a distant great great? aunt with no direct descendants they'd never heard of and a work colleague's DH a couple of thousand in a similar situation.

I think it's fairly common at the moment and last 10/20 years because the generation of women who were widowed in the 2nd WW before having DC or never married partly due to fewer men are now dying so the distant 2nd cousins twice removed or whatever are the nearest legal descendants, of which there can be many.

I don't know how much the heir hunters or solicitors charge but obviously that needs to be deducted then the amount split many ways.