Real Will / Probate Solicitor vs Inheritance Scam
Tell a genuine probate or estate solicitor apart from an inheritance advance-fee scam.
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Estates are settled every day by regulated solicitors, and if you are genuinely a beneficiary you will usually already know something about the person who died. Real probate work is slow and paper-heavy. A named firm writes on headed paper, a client care letter sets out costs, identity checks happen through a formal process, and fees come out of the estate at the end rather than out of your pocket at the start. Inheritance scams are convincing because they arrive at the one moment when the improbable feels possible, and because they flatter you with a windfall while asking for something that sounds administrative rather than expensive. The single distinction is the direction of money. In genuine probate, money flows to you, never from you.
Side-by-side comparison
| Real solicitor | Inheritance scam | |
|---|---|---|
| First contact | Letter or call from a named, verifiable firm via official channels | Unsolicited email from a stranger claiming to hold funds for you |
| Upfront fees | Fees deducted from the estate on completion; any costs explained in a client care letter | Demands upfront 'release', 'customs', or 'legal' fees |
| Verification | Solicitor regulated by the SRA; verifiable on the SRA register | Cannot be found on any regulatory register; uses lookalike domains |
| Information requested | Standard probate ID checks through formal process | Requests passport scans, bank details, and fees in the same email |
| Story plausibility | Clear connection between you and the deceased | Distant or unknown relative in a foreign jurisdiction with no clear link |
Common red flags
- An email claiming a large inheritance from an unknown relative
- Upfront fees required to 'release' or 'transfer' the inheritance
- Solicitor cannot be found on the Solicitors Regulation Authority register
- Requests for passport, bank account, and payment in the same communication
- Pressure to keep the matter confidential
Verification steps
- Check the solicitor's firm on the SRA register at solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk
- Search for the named deceased person through official probate records
- Never pay fees upfront to receive an inheritance — this is not how probate works
- Consult an independent solicitor before providing any personal documents
What not to do
- Don't send passport copies, bank details, and fee payments in response to an unsolicited email
- Don't keep the matter secret on the instructions of the supposed solicitor
- Don't assume a professional-looking letter proves legitimacy
A safe response
You owe an unsolicited sender no reply at all, and silence is a complete answer. If you want to be certain, do not use the contact details in the message. Look the firm up yourself on the SRA register at solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk, or ring the Law Society, and check whether that firm and that named solicitor exist at the address given. Send no documents and pay nothing while you check. If you have already paid a release fee or sent a passport scan, contact your bank, report it to Action Fraud, and consider identity monitoring through a credit reference agency so any misuse of your details shows up early.
Frequently asked questions
The email appears to come from a real law firm's address. Could it still be a scam?
Yes. Sender names and addresses are easy to fake, and scammers often copy a genuine firm's branding, staff names, and even its website design onto a lookalike domain. The firm itself is then an impersonated victim rather than the sender. Check the domain character by character, then ignore it entirely and ring the firm on the number listed on the SRA register. If they have never heard of the matter, you have your answer.
I have already sent them a copy of my passport. What should I do now?
Do not send anything further, and stop replying. Report it to Action Fraud and, if you are in the UK, consider registering with Cifas for protective registration, which makes lenders carry out extra checks in your name. Watch your credit file and bank statements for accounts or searches you do not recognise. If your passport itself is at risk of misuse, report that to the passport authority. Identity misuse often appears months later, so keep checking.
Is it possible to inherit money from an unknown relative?
It is possible, but extremely rare, and a genuine solicitor handling such a matter would never ask for upfront fees or send the initial approach by unsolicited email with immediate payment demands.