Mixing
I'm supposedly eligible for an inheritance from a distant relative. Offer appears to be legitimate
Clash Royale CLAN TAG#URR8PPP
.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;
up vote
16
down vote
favorite
About 12 months ago I received a letter ostensibly from a company carrying out genealogical research for law firms. It said they were dealing with the estate of someone who had left money to my late mother, who died about 20 years ago. They wanted me to authorize them to take action to transfer the bequest to me, taking a percentage of the sum as commission. The did not state the size of the bequest, but noted that it would depend on their success or failure in processing other claims on the same estate.
The letter was accompanied with a professional-looking multi-page brochure, and the company had an extensive professional-looking website.
My thought was that at best this was a mix-up of names, but since the company was not asking for any personal or financial information about me or my late mother that they had not already stated in the letter, except for confirmation of my date and place of birth, I decided to go along with it and authorized them to proceed.
I heard nothing until a few days ago, when a letter arrived ostensibly from a different firm of solicitors, stating they were dealing with the person's estate (she had died without making a will), had used the genealogy research company to trace a more than 100 relatives of the deceased who were beneficiaries of the estate, and enclosing a cheque for my share of the total. Given the large number of claimants, I was a little surprised by the size of the cheque - close to a 5-figure sum.
This firm of solicitors also looks legitimate - they have a website, a high street address in the area where my mother used to live, etc. The cheque is apparently drawn company's named account with major UK bank, not an anonymous money transfer company.
The name and date of death appears genuine - a google search found a report of her death (she was living in a care home, aged over 90) in the obituary column of a local newspaper.
All that seems fine, but there are a few "red flags" lurking in my mind:
The first letter contained absolutely no information about the deceased person, except her name, which was a very common one (Mary Smith) - probably the sort of name one would choose, if setting up a scam?
The story has changed from "someone left money to your mother, who is dead, and we want to pass it on to you" in the first letter, to "someone died without making a will, and you are one of their relatives" in the second.
The name itself did not "ring any bells" regarding friends of relatives of my mother who I knew of.
My mother had lived in this area for the whole of her life, and never mentioned any relatives she had lost touch with.
An email to the solicitor named in the second letter produced an immediate out-of-office reply, but no further response. I have not (yet) tried to contact them by other means - e.g. by phone or via their website.
Cash the cheque and celebrate my good luck, or call the police?
united-kingdom scams inheritance
edited 24 mins ago
eclipz905
1032
asked 5 hours ago
alephzero
58138
|
show 15 more comments
up vote
16
down vote
favorite
About 12 months ago I received a letter ostensibly from a company carrying out genealogical research for law firms. It said they were dealing with the estate of someone who had left money to my late mother, who died about 20 years ago. They wanted me to authorize them to take action to transfer the bequest to me, taking a percentage of the sum as commission. The did not state the size of the bequest, but noted that it would depend on their success or failure in processing other claims on the same estate.
The letter was accompanied with a professional-looking multi-page brochure, and the company had an extensive professional-looking website.
My thought was that at best this was a mix-up of names, but since the company was not asking for any personal or financial information about me or my late mother that they had not already stated in the letter, except for confirmation of my date and place of birth, I decided to go along with it and authorized them to proceed.
I heard nothing until a few days ago, when a letter arrived ostensibly from a different firm of solicitors, stating they were dealing with the person's estate (she had died without making a will), had used the genealogy research company to trace a more than 100 relatives of the deceased who were beneficiaries of the estate, and enclosing a cheque for my share of the total. Given the large number of claimants, I was a little surprised by the size of the cheque - close to a 5-figure sum.
This firm of solicitors also looks legitimate - they have a website, a high street address in the area where my mother used to live, etc. The cheque is apparently drawn company's named account with major UK bank, not an anonymous money transfer company.
The name and date of death appears genuine - a google search found a report of her death (she was living in a care home, aged over 90) in the obituary column of a local newspaper.
All that seems fine, but there are a few "red flags" lurking in my mind:
The first letter contained absolutely no information about the deceased person, except her name, which was a very common one (Mary Smith) - probably the sort of name one would choose, if setting up a scam?
The story has changed from "someone left money to your mother, who is dead, and we want to pass it on to you" in the first letter, to "someone died without making a will, and you are one of their relatives" in the second.
The name itself did not "ring any bells" regarding friends of relatives of my mother who I knew of.
My mother had lived in this area for the whole of her life, and never mentioned any relatives she had lost touch with.
An email to the solicitor named in the second letter produced an immediate out-of-office reply, but no further response. I have not (yet) tried to contact them by other means - e.g. by phone or via their website.
Cash the cheque and celebrate my good luck, or call the police?
united-kingdom scams inheritance
edited 24 mins ago
eclipz905
1032
asked 5 hours ago
alephzero
58138
2
As for the "more than 100 relatives" - that number may not be implausible, depending how far back the search had to go to find any relatives of the deceased, since my maternal grandmother was one of 11 sisters, and my maternal grandfather one of 12 brothers!
– alephzero
5 hours ago
1
cash the check and sit on it for a month or two. don't spend it right away, and you have no risk.
– Aganju
5 hours ago
1
Does the letter contains something like "I will discuss more details...this is an opportunity of a lifetime"?
– SZCZERZO KŁY
4 hours ago
2
@BobBaerker fair comment, but in the UK (unlike the US) most people (including myself) don't have a lawyer. I've got by just fine for nearly 70 years without needing one so far! Also, both letters ostensibly come from law firms already.
– alephzero
4 hours ago
2
@alephzero Maybe open a separate (savings) account with a different bank than your normal account(s) just for this cheque. Should it be frozen (which seems an unlikely event, even if the cheque is dodgy), it shouldn't affect your normal accounts.
– TripeHound
3 hours ago
|
show 15 more comments
up vote
16
down vote
favorite
up vote
16
down vote
favorite
About 12 months ago I received a letter ostensibly from a company carrying out genealogical research for law firms. It said they were dealing with the estate of someone who had left money to my late mother, who died about 20 years ago. They wanted me to authorize them to take action to transfer the bequest to me, taking a percentage of the sum as commission. The did not state the size of the bequest, but noted that it would depend on their success or failure in processing other claims on the same estate.
The letter was accompanied with a professional-looking multi-page brochure, and the company had an extensive professional-looking website.
My thought was that at best this was a mix-up of names, but since the company was not asking for any personal or financial information about me or my late mother that they had not already stated in the letter, except for confirmation of my date and place of birth, I decided to go along with it and authorized them to proceed.
I heard nothing until a few days ago, when a letter arrived ostensibly from a different firm of solicitors, stating they were dealing with the person's estate (she had died without making a will), had used the genealogy research company to trace a more than 100 relatives of the deceased who were beneficiaries of the estate, and enclosing a cheque for my share of the total. Given the large number of claimants, I was a little surprised by the size of the cheque - close to a 5-figure sum.
This firm of solicitors also looks legitimate - they have a website, a high street address in the area where my mother used to live, etc. The cheque is apparently drawn company's named account with major UK bank, not an anonymous money transfer company.
The name and date of death appears genuine - a google search found a report of her death (she was living in a care home, aged over 90) in the obituary column of a local newspaper.
All that seems fine, but there are a few "red flags" lurking in my mind:
The first letter contained absolutely no information about the deceased person, except her name, which was a very common one (Mary Smith) - probably the sort of name one would choose, if setting up a scam?
The story has changed from "someone left money to your mother, who is dead, and we want to pass it on to you" in the first letter, to "someone died without making a will, and you are one of their relatives" in the second.
The name itself did not "ring any bells" regarding friends of relatives of my mother who I knew of.
My mother had lived in this area for the whole of her life, and never mentioned any relatives she had lost touch with.
An email to the solicitor named in the second letter produced an immediate out-of-office reply, but no further response. I have not (yet) tried to contact them by other means - e.g. by phone or via their website.
Cash the cheque and celebrate my good luck, or call the police?
united-kingdom scams inheritance
edited 24 mins ago
eclipz905
1032
asked 5 hours ago
alephzero
58138
About 12 months ago I received a letter ostensibly from a company carrying out genealogical research for law firms. It said they were dealing with the estate of someone who had left money to my late mother, who died about 20 years ago. They wanted me to authorize them to take action to transfer the bequest to me, taking a percentage of the sum as commission. The did not state the size of the bequest, but noted that it would depend on their success or failure in processing other claims on the same estate.
The letter was accompanied with a professional-looking multi-page brochure, and the company had an extensive professional-looking website.
My thought was that at best this was a mix-up of names, but since the company was not asking for any personal or financial information about me or my late mother that they had not already stated in the letter, except for confirmation of my date and place of birth, I decided to go along with it and authorized them to proceed.
I heard nothing until a few days ago, when a letter arrived ostensibly from a different firm of solicitors, stating they were dealing with the person's estate (she had died without making a will), had used the genealogy research company to trace a more than 100 relatives of the deceased who were beneficiaries of the estate, and enclosing a cheque for my share of the total. Given the large number of claimants, I was a little surprised by the size of the cheque - close to a 5-figure sum.
This firm of solicitors also looks legitimate - they have a website, a high street address in the area where my mother used to live, etc. The cheque is apparently drawn company's named account with major UK bank, not an anonymous money transfer company.
The name and date of death appears genuine - a google search found a report of her death (she was living in a care home, aged over 90) in the obituary column of a local newspaper.
All that seems fine, but there are a few "red flags" lurking in my mind:
The first letter contained absolutely no information about the deceased person, except her name, which was a very common one (Mary Smith) - probably the sort of name one would choose, if setting up a scam?
The story has changed from "someone left money to your mother, who is dead, and we want to pass it on to you" in the first letter, to "someone died without making a will, and you are one of their relatives" in the second.
The name itself did not "ring any bells" regarding friends of relatives of my mother who I knew of.
My mother had lived in this area for the whole of her life, and never mentioned any relatives she had lost touch with.
An email to the solicitor named in the second letter produced an immediate out-of-office reply, but no further response. I have not (yet) tried to contact them by other means - e.g. by phone or via their website.
Cash the cheque and celebrate my good luck, or call the police?
united-kingdom scams inheritance
united-kingdom scams inheritance
edited 24 mins ago
eclipz905
1032
asked 5 hours ago
alephzero
58138
edited 24 mins ago
eclipz905
1032
asked 5 hours ago
alephzero
58138
edited 24 mins ago
eclipz905
1032
edited 24 mins ago
eclipz905
1032
edited 24 mins ago
eclipz905
1032
1032
asked 5 hours ago
alephzero
58138
asked 5 hours ago
alephzero
58138
asked 5 hours ago
alephzero
58138
58138
2
As for the "more than 100 relatives" - that number may not be implausible, depending how far back the search had to go to find any relatives of the deceased, since my maternal grandmother was one of 11 sisters, and my maternal grandfather one of 12 brothers!
– alephzero
5 hours ago
1
cash the check and sit on it for a month or two. don't spend it right away, and you have no risk.
– Aganju
5 hours ago
1
Does the letter contains something like "I will discuss more details...this is an opportunity of a lifetime"?
– SZCZERZO KŁY
4 hours ago
2
@BobBaerker fair comment, but in the UK (unlike the US) most people (including myself) don't have a lawyer. I've got by just fine for nearly 70 years without needing one so far! Also, both letters ostensibly come from law firms already.
– alephzero
4 hours ago
2
@alephzero Maybe open a separate (savings) account with a different bank than your normal account(s) just for this cheque. Should it be frozen (which seems an unlikely event, even if the cheque is dodgy), it shouldn't affect your normal accounts.
– TripeHound
3 hours ago
|
show 15 more comments
2
As for the "more than 100 relatives" - that number may not be implausible, depending how far back the search had to go to find any relatives of the deceased, since my maternal grandmother was one of 11 sisters, and my maternal grandfather one of 12 brothers!
– alephzero
5 hours ago
1
cash the check and sit on it for a month or two. don't spend it right away, and you have no risk.
– Aganju
5 hours ago
1
Does the letter contains something like "I will discuss more details...this is an opportunity of a lifetime"?
– SZCZERZO KŁY
4 hours ago
2
@BobBaerker fair comment, but in the UK (unlike the US) most people (including myself) don't have a lawyer. I've got by just fine for nearly 70 years without needing one so far! Also, both letters ostensibly come from law firms already.
– alephzero
4 hours ago
2
@alephzero Maybe open a separate (savings) account with a different bank than your normal account(s) just for this cheque. Should it be frozen (which seems an unlikely event, even if the cheque is dodgy), it shouldn't affect your normal accounts.
– TripeHound
3 hours ago
2
2
As for the "more than 100 relatives" - that number may not be implausible, depending how far back the search had to go to find any relatives of the deceased, since my maternal grandmother was one of 11 sisters, and my maternal grandfather one of 12 brothers!
– alephzero
5 hours ago
As for the "more than 100 relatives" - that number may not be implausible, depending how far back the search had to go to find any relatives of the deceased, since my maternal grandmother was one of 11 sisters, and my maternal grandfather one of 12 brothers!
– alephzero
5 hours ago
1
1
cash the check and sit on it for a month or two. don't spend it right away, and you have no risk.
– Aganju
5 hours ago
cash the check and sit on it for a month or two. don't spend it right away, and you have no risk.
– Aganju
5 hours ago
1
1
Does the letter contains something like "I will discuss more details...this is an opportunity of a lifetime"?
– SZCZERZO KŁY
4 hours ago
Does the letter contains something like "I will discuss more details...this is an opportunity of a lifetime"?
– SZCZERZO KŁY
4 hours ago
2
2
@BobBaerker fair comment, but in the UK (unlike the US) most people (including myself) don't have a lawyer. I've got by just fine for nearly 70 years without needing one so far! Also, both letters ostensibly come from law firms already.
– alephzero
4 hours ago
@BobBaerker fair comment, but in the UK (unlike the US) most people (including myself) don't have a lawyer. I've got by just fine for nearly 70 years without needing one so far! Also, both letters ostensibly come from law firms already.
– alephzero
4 hours ago
2
2
@alephzero Maybe open a separate (savings) account with a different bank than your normal account(s) just for this cheque. Should it be frozen (which seems an unlikely event, even if the cheque is dodgy), it shouldn't affect your normal accounts.
– TripeHound
3 hours ago
@alephzero Maybe open a separate (savings) account with a different bank than your normal account(s) just for this cheque. Should it be frozen (which seems an unlikely event, even if the cheque is dodgy), it shouldn't affect your normal accounts.
– TripeHound
3 hours ago
|
show 15 more comments
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
up vote
19
down vote
In any instance where your hackles are raised about a possible scam, but you have reason to move forward regardless, approach with caution, and complete whatever due diligence you can, without direct contact from the potential scammers.
ie: if they've given you a phone number in the letter, don't call that number to confirm legitimacy. Instead, Google the name of the firm. First, confirm they are legitimate [if you start googling 'Smith & George Practitioners of Law, LLP', and it autocompletes to 'Smith & George Scam?', that's another red flag]. Check reviews of their work, and check 3rd party websites for linkages to associations. ie: Don't trust a seal of approval on their website that shows they are 'UK Board Certified' or whatever, instead go to the website for the UK Board of Certification, and see if they are listed as a member. In this specific case, in the UK you can use solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk, per the helpful tip of @Qwerky in the comments.
After confirming they are legitimate, contact their main reception number from the website that you searched not the number that was given to you in the letter. Ask to be transferred to the person indicated on your letter, and request that they confirm that they were the ones to send the letter in the first place. Note - you should do this for both entities which are listed in the letters - the geneological research firm + the law firm that later provided the cheque. This would have been a good thing to do before sending a reply in the first place.
This will allow you to confirm - (a) that the firm exists, (b) that the firm is not visibly just a front for something illegal; and (c) that the existing firm sent you the letter. Note that this does not yet confirm legitimacy. There are some shady businesses out there, and you may not be able to tell immediately that the person contacting you is more 'Saul Goodman' than 'Atticus Finch'. So now you need to approach the payment carefully.
For the cheque itself, I would advise you to raise the risk of potential illegitimacy to the bank. You could advise them when cashing the cheque that you have had no prior contact with the law firm that provided the cheque to you, and that you want a confirmation when the true payment has actually cleared - this may be weeks later depending on where the payment is coming from. Given that you would only complete this step after confirming legitimacy of the law firm and the legitimacy of your letter being from that firm, your risk at this point should be low.
Given that the cheque is drawn from a local bank, it may even be worth your time to create an account with that bank for the purposes of cashing this cheque - this could help them more immediately confirm the legitimacy of the cheque.
Finally - make sure you spend none of the money until you've gotten something from the bank confirming that it has fully cleared - you don't want to pay any fees for overdrawn payments after this cheque bounces.
There is still a possibility here that you are in stage 1 of a possible scam. Approach with caution. For a near 5 figure sum, you may want to hire your own lawyer to advise you on your best course of action, though I imagine that might cost you a few hundred pounds, at least.
For the record, while your story contains many of the tell-tale signs of a scam, the following are the pieces of information that would make me cautiously optimistic about investigating further, instead of simply trashing:
- They got the name of your relative correct [although likely there is public info out there linking your name with theirs, that means this is more targetted than mass/automated];
- They waited 12 months before handing you a cheque [scammers will want to move quickly while they have piqued your interest];
- They are being paid by reducing the amount of the cheque they sent you [a legitimate way to be compensated for services], rather than by sending you the full amount and asking for a partial refund [a common method of the 'cheque-clearing scam']; and
- The cheque is ostensibly from a major, local bank [scammers will often purport to be sending funds from offshore accounts with banks you've never heard of].
None of the above is a guarantee of legitimacy, and the red flags you've noted should all be taken seriously, but there is enough here that if it were me, I would move forward incredibly cautiously.
answered 3 hours ago
Grade 'Eh' Bacon
19.4k84971
5
FWIW, this kind of heir-tracing is a slightly common and legitimate thing in the UK, so while you're right to encourage caution, I think it probably isn't stage 1 of a scam.
– Ganesh Sittampalam♦
2 hours ago
3
@GaneshSittampalam To be honest I would tend to agree with you, but for reference of future readers [who might meet all of the red flags above + others not present for the OP, and who might might 1/2 of the 'green flags' above], I want to reiterate that this is dangerous territory. Perhaps I rode the line to harshly, but I think 'cautiously optimistic' is the right tone for this specific event. For reference I have changed the tone of that sentence to reflect this fact.
– Grade 'Eh' Bacon
2 hours ago
If you want to verify the solicitor is legit then look them up through the Law Society at solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk and contact them on the phone number given by the Law Society.
– Qwerky
1 hour ago
@Qwerky Thanks for that; I have added the reference to my answer.
– Grade 'Eh' Bacon
1 hour ago
5
wow, an 'is this a scam?' question that might not actually be a scam.
– Mr.Mindor
26 mins ago
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
19
down vote
In any instance where your hackles are raised about a possible scam, but you have reason to move forward regardless, approach with caution, and complete whatever due diligence you can, without direct contact from the potential scammers.
ie: if they've given you a phone number in the letter, don't call that number to confirm legitimacy. Instead, Google the name of the firm. First, confirm they are legitimate [if you start googling 'Smith & George Practitioners of Law, LLP', and it autocompletes to 'Smith & George Scam?', that's another red flag]. Check reviews of their work, and check 3rd party websites for linkages to associations. ie: Don't trust a seal of approval on their website that shows they are 'UK Board Certified' or whatever, instead go to the website for the UK Board of Certification, and see if they are listed as a member. In this specific case, in the UK you can use solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk, per the helpful tip of @Qwerky in the comments.
After confirming they are legitimate, contact their main reception number from the website that you searched not the number that was given to you in the letter. Ask to be transferred to the person indicated on your letter, and request that they confirm that they were the ones to send the letter in the first place. Note - you should do this for both entities which are listed in the letters - the geneological research firm + the law firm that later provided the cheque. This would have been a good thing to do before sending a reply in the first place.
This will allow you to confirm - (a) that the firm exists, (b) that the firm is not visibly just a front for something illegal; and (c) that the existing firm sent you the letter. Note that this does not yet confirm legitimacy. There are some shady businesses out there, and you may not be able to tell immediately that the person contacting you is more 'Saul Goodman' than 'Atticus Finch'. So now you need to approach the payment carefully.
For the cheque itself, I would advise you to raise the risk of potential illegitimacy to the bank. You could advise them when cashing the cheque that you have had no prior contact with the law firm that provided the cheque to you, and that you want a confirmation when the true payment has actually cleared - this may be weeks later depending on where the payment is coming from. Given that you would only complete this step after confirming legitimacy of the law firm and the legitimacy of your letter being from that firm, your risk at this point should be low.
Given that the cheque is drawn from a local bank, it may even be worth your time to create an account with that bank for the purposes of cashing this cheque - this could help them more immediately confirm the legitimacy of the cheque.
Finally - make sure you spend none of the money until you've gotten something from the bank confirming that it has fully cleared - you don't want to pay any fees for overdrawn payments after this cheque bounces.
There is still a possibility here that you are in stage 1 of a possible scam. Approach with caution. For a near 5 figure sum, you may want to hire your own lawyer to advise you on your best course of action, though I imagine that might cost you a few hundred pounds, at least.
For the record, while your story contains many of the tell-tale signs of a scam, the following are the pieces of information that would make me cautiously optimistic about investigating further, instead of simply trashing:
- They got the name of your relative correct [although likely there is public info out there linking your name with theirs, that means this is more targetted than mass/automated];
- They waited 12 months before handing you a cheque [scammers will want to move quickly while they have piqued your interest];
- They are being paid by reducing the amount of the cheque they sent you [a legitimate way to be compensated for services], rather than by sending you the full amount and asking for a partial refund [a common method of the 'cheque-clearing scam']; and
- The cheque is ostensibly from a major, local bank [scammers will often purport to be sending funds from offshore accounts with banks you've never heard of].
None of the above is a guarantee of legitimacy, and the red flags you've noted should all be taken seriously, but there is enough here that if it were me, I would move forward incredibly cautiously.
answered 3 hours ago
Grade 'Eh' Bacon
19.4k84971
5
FWIW, this kind of heir-tracing is a slightly common and legitimate thing in the UK, so while you're right to encourage caution, I think it probably isn't stage 1 of a scam.
– Ganesh Sittampalam♦
2 hours ago
3
@GaneshSittampalam To be honest I would tend to agree with you, but for reference of future readers [who might meet all of the red flags above + others not present for the OP, and who might might 1/2 of the 'green flags' above], I want to reiterate that this is dangerous territory. Perhaps I rode the line to harshly, but I think 'cautiously optimistic' is the right tone for this specific event. For reference I have changed the tone of that sentence to reflect this fact.
– Grade 'Eh' Bacon
2 hours ago
If you want to verify the solicitor is legit then look them up through the Law Society at solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk and contact them on the phone number given by the Law Society.
– Qwerky
1 hour ago
@Qwerky Thanks for that; I have added the reference to my answer.
– Grade 'Eh' Bacon
1 hour ago
5
wow, an 'is this a scam?' question that might not actually be a scam.
– Mr.Mindor
26 mins ago
add a comment |
up vote
19
down vote
In any instance where your hackles are raised about a possible scam, but you have reason to move forward regardless, approach with caution, and complete whatever due diligence you can, without direct contact from the potential scammers.
ie: if they've given you a phone number in the letter, don't call that number to confirm legitimacy. Instead, Google the name of the firm. First, confirm they are legitimate [if you start googling 'Smith & George Practitioners of Law, LLP', and it autocompletes to 'Smith & George Scam?', that's another red flag]. Check reviews of their work, and check 3rd party websites for linkages to associations. ie: Don't trust a seal of approval on their website that shows they are 'UK Board Certified' or whatever, instead go to the website for the UK Board of Certification, and see if they are listed as a member. In this specific case, in the UK you can use solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk, per the helpful tip of @Qwerky in the comments.
After confirming they are legitimate, contact their main reception number from the website that you searched not the number that was given to you in the letter. Ask to be transferred to the person indicated on your letter, and request that they confirm that they were the ones to send the letter in the first place. Note - you should do this for both entities which are listed in the letters - the geneological research firm + the law firm that later provided the cheque. This would have been a good thing to do before sending a reply in the first place.
This will allow you to confirm - (a) that the firm exists, (b) that the firm is not visibly just a front for something illegal; and (c) that the existing firm sent you the letter. Note that this does not yet confirm legitimacy. There are some shady businesses out there, and you may not be able to tell immediately that the person contacting you is more 'Saul Goodman' than 'Atticus Finch'. So now you need to approach the payment carefully.
For the cheque itself, I would advise you to raise the risk of potential illegitimacy to the bank. You could advise them when cashing the cheque that you have had no prior contact with the law firm that provided the cheque to you, and that you want a confirmation when the true payment has actually cleared - this may be weeks later depending on where the payment is coming from. Given that you would only complete this step after confirming legitimacy of the law firm and the legitimacy of your letter being from that firm, your risk at this point should be low.
Given that the cheque is drawn from a local bank, it may even be worth your time to create an account with that bank for the purposes of cashing this cheque - this could help them more immediately confirm the legitimacy of the cheque.
Finally - make sure you spend none of the money until you've gotten something from the bank confirming that it has fully cleared - you don't want to pay any fees for overdrawn payments after this cheque bounces.
There is still a possibility here that you are in stage 1 of a possible scam. Approach with caution. For a near 5 figure sum, you may want to hire your own lawyer to advise you on your best course of action, though I imagine that might cost you a few hundred pounds, at least.
For the record, while your story contains many of the tell-tale signs of a scam, the following are the pieces of information that would make me cautiously optimistic about investigating further, instead of simply trashing:
- They got the name of your relative correct [although likely there is public info out there linking your name with theirs, that means this is more targetted than mass/automated];
- They waited 12 months before handing you a cheque [scammers will want to move quickly while they have piqued your interest];
- They are being paid by reducing the amount of the cheque they sent you [a legitimate way to be compensated for services], rather than by sending you the full amount and asking for a partial refund [a common method of the 'cheque-clearing scam']; and
- The cheque is ostensibly from a major, local bank [scammers will often purport to be sending funds from offshore accounts with banks you've never heard of].
None of the above is a guarantee of legitimacy, and the red flags you've noted should all be taken seriously, but there is enough here that if it were me, I would move forward incredibly cautiously.
answered 3 hours ago
Grade 'Eh' Bacon
19.4k84971
5
FWIW, this kind of heir-tracing is a slightly common and legitimate thing in the UK, so while you're right to encourage caution, I think it probably isn't stage 1 of a scam.
– Ganesh Sittampalam♦
2 hours ago
3
@GaneshSittampalam To be honest I would tend to agree with you, but for reference of future readers [who might meet all of the red flags above + others not present for the OP, and who might might 1/2 of the 'green flags' above], I want to reiterate that this is dangerous territory. Perhaps I rode the line to harshly, but I think 'cautiously optimistic' is the right tone for this specific event. For reference I have changed the tone of that sentence to reflect this fact.
– Grade 'Eh' Bacon
2 hours ago
If you want to verify the solicitor is legit then look them up through the Law Society at solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk and contact them on the phone number given by the Law Society.
– Qwerky
1 hour ago
@Qwerky Thanks for that; I have added the reference to my answer.
– Grade 'Eh' Bacon
1 hour ago
5
wow, an 'is this a scam?' question that might not actually be a scam.
– Mr.Mindor
26 mins ago
add a comment |
up vote
19
down vote
up vote
19
down vote
In any instance where your hackles are raised about a possible scam, but you have reason to move forward regardless, approach with caution, and complete whatever due diligence you can, without direct contact from the potential scammers.
ie: if they've given you a phone number in the letter, don't call that number to confirm legitimacy. Instead, Google the name of the firm. First, confirm they are legitimate [if you start googling 'Smith & George Practitioners of Law, LLP', and it autocompletes to 'Smith & George Scam?', that's another red flag]. Check reviews of their work, and check 3rd party websites for linkages to associations. ie: Don't trust a seal of approval on their website that shows they are 'UK Board Certified' or whatever, instead go to the website for the UK Board of Certification, and see if they are listed as a member. In this specific case, in the UK you can use solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk, per the helpful tip of @Qwerky in the comments.
After confirming they are legitimate, contact their main reception number from the website that you searched not the number that was given to you in the letter. Ask to be transferred to the person indicated on your letter, and request that they confirm that they were the ones to send the letter in the first place. Note - you should do this for both entities which are listed in the letters - the geneological research firm + the law firm that later provided the cheque. This would have been a good thing to do before sending a reply in the first place.
This will allow you to confirm - (a) that the firm exists, (b) that the firm is not visibly just a front for something illegal; and (c) that the existing firm sent you the letter. Note that this does not yet confirm legitimacy. There are some shady businesses out there, and you may not be able to tell immediately that the person contacting you is more 'Saul Goodman' than 'Atticus Finch'. So now you need to approach the payment carefully.
For the cheque itself, I would advise you to raise the risk of potential illegitimacy to the bank. You could advise them when cashing the cheque that you have had no prior contact with the law firm that provided the cheque to you, and that you want a confirmation when the true payment has actually cleared - this may be weeks later depending on where the payment is coming from. Given that you would only complete this step after confirming legitimacy of the law firm and the legitimacy of your letter being from that firm, your risk at this point should be low.
Given that the cheque is drawn from a local bank, it may even be worth your time to create an account with that bank for the purposes of cashing this cheque - this could help them more immediately confirm the legitimacy of the cheque.
Finally - make sure you spend none of the money until you've gotten something from the bank confirming that it has fully cleared - you don't want to pay any fees for overdrawn payments after this cheque bounces.
There is still a possibility here that you are in stage 1 of a possible scam. Approach with caution. For a near 5 figure sum, you may want to hire your own lawyer to advise you on your best course of action, though I imagine that might cost you a few hundred pounds, at least.
For the record, while your story contains many of the tell-tale signs of a scam, the following are the pieces of information that would make me cautiously optimistic about investigating further, instead of simply trashing:
- They got the name of your relative correct [although likely there is public info out there linking your name with theirs, that means this is more targetted than mass/automated];
- They waited 12 months before handing you a cheque [scammers will want to move quickly while they have piqued your interest];
- They are being paid by reducing the amount of the cheque they sent you [a legitimate way to be compensated for services], rather than by sending you the full amount and asking for a partial refund [a common method of the 'cheque-clearing scam']; and
- The cheque is ostensibly from a major, local bank [scammers will often purport to be sending funds from offshore accounts with banks you've never heard of].
None of the above is a guarantee of legitimacy, and the red flags you've noted should all be taken seriously, but there is enough here that if it were me, I would move forward incredibly cautiously.
answered 3 hours ago
Grade 'Eh' Bacon
19.4k84971
In any instance where your hackles are raised about a possible scam, but you have reason to move forward regardless, approach with caution, and complete whatever due diligence you can, without direct contact from the potential scammers.
ie: if they've given you a phone number in the letter, don't call that number to confirm legitimacy. Instead, Google the name of the firm. First, confirm they are legitimate [if you start googling 'Smith & George Practitioners of Law, LLP', and it autocompletes to 'Smith & George Scam?', that's another red flag]. Check reviews of their work, and check 3rd party websites for linkages to associations. ie: Don't trust a seal of approval on their website that shows they are 'UK Board Certified' or whatever, instead go to the website for the UK Board of Certification, and see if they are listed as a member. In this specific case, in the UK you can use solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk, per the helpful tip of @Qwerky in the comments.
After confirming they are legitimate, contact their main reception number from the website that you searched not the number that was given to you in the letter. Ask to be transferred to the person indicated on your letter, and request that they confirm that they were the ones to send the letter in the first place. Note - you should do this for both entities which are listed in the letters - the geneological research firm + the law firm that later provided the cheque. This would have been a good thing to do before sending a reply in the first place.
This will allow you to confirm - (a) that the firm exists, (b) that the firm is not visibly just a front for something illegal; and (c) that the existing firm sent you the letter. Note that this does not yet confirm legitimacy. There are some shady businesses out there, and you may not be able to tell immediately that the person contacting you is more 'Saul Goodman' than 'Atticus Finch'. So now you need to approach the payment carefully.
For the cheque itself, I would advise you to raise the risk of potential illegitimacy to the bank. You could advise them when cashing the cheque that you have had no prior contact with the law firm that provided the cheque to you, and that you want a confirmation when the true payment has actually cleared - this may be weeks later depending on where the payment is coming from. Given that you would only complete this step after confirming legitimacy of the law firm and the legitimacy of your letter being from that firm, your risk at this point should be low.
Given that the cheque is drawn from a local bank, it may even be worth your time to create an account with that bank for the purposes of cashing this cheque - this could help them more immediately confirm the legitimacy of the cheque.
Finally - make sure you spend none of the money until you've gotten something from the bank confirming that it has fully cleared - you don't want to pay any fees for overdrawn payments after this cheque bounces.
There is still a possibility here that you are in stage 1 of a possible scam. Approach with caution. For a near 5 figure sum, you may want to hire your own lawyer to advise you on your best course of action, though I imagine that might cost you a few hundred pounds, at least.
For the record, while your story contains many of the tell-tale signs of a scam, the following are the pieces of information that would make me cautiously optimistic about investigating further, instead of simply trashing:
- They got the name of your relative correct [although likely there is public info out there linking your name with theirs, that means this is more targetted than mass/automated];
- They waited 12 months before handing you a cheque [scammers will want to move quickly while they have piqued your interest];
- They are being paid by reducing the amount of the cheque they sent you [a legitimate way to be compensated for services], rather than by sending you the full amount and asking for a partial refund [a common method of the 'cheque-clearing scam']; and
- The cheque is ostensibly from a major, local bank [scammers will often purport to be sending funds from offshore accounts with banks you've never heard of].
None of the above is a guarantee of legitimacy, and the red flags you've noted should all be taken seriously, but there is enough here that if it were me, I would move forward incredibly cautiously.
answered 3 hours ago
Grade 'Eh' Bacon
19.4k84971
edited 1 hour ago
answered 3 hours ago
Grade 'Eh' Bacon
19.4k84971
answered 3 hours ago
Grade 'Eh' Bacon
19.4k84971
answered 3 hours ago
Grade 'Eh' Bacon
19.4k84971
19.4k84971
5
FWIW, this kind of heir-tracing is a slightly common and legitimate thing in the UK, so while you're right to encourage caution, I think it probably isn't stage 1 of a scam.
– Ganesh Sittampalam♦
2 hours ago
3
@GaneshSittampalam To be honest I would tend to agree with you, but for reference of future readers [who might meet all of the red flags above + others not present for the OP, and who might might 1/2 of the 'green flags' above], I want to reiterate that this is dangerous territory. Perhaps I rode the line to harshly, but I think 'cautiously optimistic' is the right tone for this specific event. For reference I have changed the tone of that sentence to reflect this fact.
– Grade 'Eh' Bacon
2 hours ago
If you want to verify the solicitor is legit then look them up through the Law Society at solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk and contact them on the phone number given by the Law Society.
– Qwerky
1 hour ago
@Qwerky Thanks for that; I have added the reference to my answer.
– Grade 'Eh' Bacon
1 hour ago
5
wow, an 'is this a scam?' question that might not actually be a scam.
– Mr.Mindor
26 mins ago
add a comment |
5
FWIW, this kind of heir-tracing is a slightly common and legitimate thing in the UK, so while you're right to encourage caution, I think it probably isn't stage 1 of a scam.
– Ganesh Sittampalam♦
2 hours ago
3
@GaneshSittampalam To be honest I would tend to agree with you, but for reference of future readers [who might meet all of the red flags above + others not present for the OP, and who might might 1/2 of the 'green flags' above], I want to reiterate that this is dangerous territory. Perhaps I rode the line to harshly, but I think 'cautiously optimistic' is the right tone for this specific event. For reference I have changed the tone of that sentence to reflect this fact.
– Grade 'Eh' Bacon
2 hours ago
If you want to verify the solicitor is legit then look them up through the Law Society at solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk and contact them on the phone number given by the Law Society.
– Qwerky
1 hour ago
@Qwerky Thanks for that; I have added the reference to my answer.
– Grade 'Eh' Bacon
1 hour ago
5
wow, an 'is this a scam?' question that might not actually be a scam.
– Mr.Mindor
26 mins ago
5
5
FWIW, this kind of heir-tracing is a slightly common and legitimate thing in the UK, so while you're right to encourage caution, I think it probably isn't stage 1 of a scam.
– Ganesh Sittampalam♦
2 hours ago
FWIW, this kind of heir-tracing is a slightly common and legitimate thing in the UK, so while you're right to encourage caution, I think it probably isn't stage 1 of a scam.
– Ganesh Sittampalam♦
2 hours ago
3
3
@GaneshSittampalam To be honest I would tend to agree with you, but for reference of future readers [who might meet all of the red flags above + others not present for the OP, and who might might 1/2 of the 'green flags' above], I want to reiterate that this is dangerous territory. Perhaps I rode the line to harshly, but I think 'cautiously optimistic' is the right tone for this specific event. For reference I have changed the tone of that sentence to reflect this fact.
– Grade 'Eh' Bacon
2 hours ago
@GaneshSittampalam To be honest I would tend to agree with you, but for reference of future readers [who might meet all of the red flags above + others not present for the OP, and who might might 1/2 of the 'green flags' above], I want to reiterate that this is dangerous territory. Perhaps I rode the line to harshly, but I think 'cautiously optimistic' is the right tone for this specific event. For reference I have changed the tone of that sentence to reflect this fact.
– Grade 'Eh' Bacon
2 hours ago
If you want to verify the solicitor is legit then look them up through the Law Society at solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk and contact them on the phone number given by the Law Society.
– Qwerky
1 hour ago
If you want to verify the solicitor is legit then look them up through the Law Society at solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk and contact them on the phone number given by the Law Society.
– Qwerky
1 hour ago
@Qwerky Thanks for that; I have added the reference to my answer.
– Grade 'Eh' Bacon
1 hour ago
@Qwerky Thanks for that; I have added the reference to my answer.
– Grade 'Eh' Bacon
1 hour ago
5
5
wow, an 'is this a scam?' question that might not actually be a scam.
– Mr.Mindor
26 mins ago
wow, an 'is this a scam?' question that might not actually be a scam.
– Mr.Mindor
26 mins ago
add a comment |
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fmoney.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f101935%2fim-supposedly-eligible-for-an-inheritance-from-a-distant-relative-offer-appear%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
2
As for the "more than 100 relatives" - that number may not be implausible, depending how far back the search had to go to find any relatives of the deceased, since my maternal grandmother was one of 11 sisters, and my maternal grandfather one of 12 brothers!
– alephzero
5 hours ago
1
cash the check and sit on it for a month or two. don't spend it right away, and you have no risk.
– Aganju
5 hours ago
1
Does the letter contains something like "I will discuss more details...this is an opportunity of a lifetime"?
– SZCZERZO KŁY
4 hours ago
2
@BobBaerker fair comment, but in the UK (unlike the US) most people (including myself) don't have a lawyer. I've got by just fine for nearly 70 years without needing one so far! Also, both letters ostensibly come from law firms already.
– alephzero
4 hours ago
2
@alephzero Maybe open a separate (savings) account with a different bank than your normal account(s) just for this cheque. Should it be frozen (which seems an unlikely event, even if the cheque is dodgy), it shouldn't affect your normal accounts.
– TripeHound
3 hours ago