06 October 2020
Inheritance Scams
One common scam is for criminals to create a fake email address and send emails from it to members of the public. They often pretend to be a lawyer by taking a real lawyer's details from a law firm's website.
If a recipient responds, the criminal sends another fake email claiming that they are a long-lost relative of a wealthy client who has died. The criminal pretends to be an experienced probate solicitor who is dealing with the client’s Estate.
Intestacy Law
Lawyers sometimes do genuinely contact people to let them know about an inheritance from a long-lost relative.
If someone dies without making a will, their Estate is divided between their relatives according to Intestacy law. In some cases that includes distant cousins. In this type of situation, a lawyer will usually have a family tree prepared by a genealogist to identify the relatives. They will then instruct tracing agents to find you. So it is unlikely that they would contact you via email in the first instance. They are more likely to write to your home address.
You shouldn’t dismiss correspondence of this type out of hand as it might be real. However it is prudent to check that it has come from a genuine lawyer before responding or opening attached documents.
This type of scam is clever because the recipient may be wary of an email about a relative of whom they have never heard. They may google the solicitor’s details. This will lead them to the firm’s website and perhaps even the Law Society website that proves that the lawyer is real.
The lawyer may be a real person, but they will have no knowledge of the fake emails sent using their details. The criminal knows that if recipients look up the lawyer online, they will be reassured and believe that the fake email must be genuine.
If the recipient responds the criminal sends another email asking for their personal details and perhaps even their bank details.
Things to look out for
There are some things that suggest that an email is fake:
Some people report a feeling that it is “too good to be true”. You should always listen to your instincts and be cautious. Bear in mind, some fake emails will use fake letter heads and watermarks and can look really convincing.
Check before you click
If you receive an unexpected email purporting to be from a lawyer, please do not click on any attached document to open it without checking whether it is genuine. It may contain a virus.
How you can check
If you are due to inherit from a long-lost relative, then it is likely that other members of your family will inherit too. Check with your family to see if anyone else has been contacted.
You can check whether an email is genuine by looking up the law firm. Do not use the details provided in the email or follow a link in the email to the firm’s website. Instead look them up using a search engine.
You can check whether the phone number given for the firm in the email is correct by looking at the firm’s website.
You can also double check the firm’s phone number (and other details) by checking the Law Society website and using the Find a Solicitor search.
If you are still unsure about the email, you can phone the law firm directly and ask them to check the details for you. The receptionist or an assistant will be able to tell you whether the firm is acting on behalf of the deceased’s Estate.
Reporting Fraud
You can report a phishing scam to the National Cyber Security centre here.
If you believe you have been the victim of fraud (and you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland) you can report it to Action Fraud here. If you live in Scotland you should contact Police Scotland on 101.
Please note, this is not legal advice. It is intended to provide information of general interest about current legal issues.
