Unclaimed Estates - Inheritance Scams To Avoid

Even in the seemingly harmless field of family history it important to tread with

caution and it is not an entirely uncommon occurrence for people researching their family tree to fall foul of a genealogy scam. Although some of these hoaxes are well documented and relatively easy to recognise they are often very well constructed and manage to dupe their victims in a variety ways. The best advice is that you should never send money to anyone alleging they have an unclaimed estate inheritance payment for you.

The primary method by which a phony inheritance scam will rope in its victims is by appealing to their interest in family history. The first stage in this process is contact, usually by a letter or an email, informing the recipient that an unclaimed inheritance from somewhere in their family tree has been located. The more sophisticated criminals will create the appearance of a genuine heir hunting firm, often using well recognised names to lure their victim into a false sense of security. They will present a plausible account of a wealthy distant relative whose estate they have been employed to execute and to which the person that has been contacted is the sole heir.

Once they have established communication there may be a number of letters that follow requiring some proof of identity to authenticate the claim. This will then be followed by the request for a payment of fees, usually in various elevating stages, designed to extract as much money from the victim as is possible. The so-called 'Baker Hoax' is a prime example of an unclaimed inheritance scam.

When dealing with unclaimed inheritance another group to avoid are genealogists with false credentials. It is possible for any family historian to set themselves up as a professional service and charge fees for tracing family trees. There is nothing illegal in this as long as they do not misrepresent their level of training, experience or expertise. Professional genealogy services do not require a government license but do have instituted screening programs.

There are a number of well documented cases of so-called genealogy firms falsifying credentials implying that they have compliance with reputed screening programs. In some cases these firms have generated phony family histories for clients. For someone intending to hire a professional family history research service it is essential that they thoroughly vet the firm. The Association of Professional Genealogists can provide lists of all certified and uncertified Genealogists which is a good start point for anyone looking to use this kind of a service.

In addition to phony companies there are also some phony software products on the market which also need to be avoided. Essentially these products will claim to be able to perform a function which they are not capable of and although they are not strictly speaking fraudulent companies that sell them are guilty of deception. For someone looking to find a connection to an unclaimed estate they will provide a fruitless and often frustrating search.

by: Tony Crocker

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