I inherited £75k from a long-lost family member I didn’t know existed – I thought it was a scam… but it’s bittersweet
A WOMAN has revealed how she was shocked to inherit a fortune from a long-lost family member she didn’t even know existed.
Conchita Boothman was “totally suprised” when she received a letter saying she was an heir to a £75,000 estate that belonged to her dad’s dead cousin.
Ms Boothman said she first thought it was a scam, but found it to be true when she reached out to Finders International – an organisation which helps find missing beneficiaries.
The property belonged to 82-year-old Angela Lewis who tragically died of dementia .
Ms Lewis was single and had no children – and not much was known about her extended family.
Finders International found that Ms Lewis had three distant cousins who died before her – and Ms Boothman was one of the cousins daughter.
She told MailOnline: “When I got the letter from Finders International I was totally surprised.
“I was a bit dubious at first but did my own research on Finders International and, while I had never heard of Angela Lewis, I decided I would call Finders.”
Ms Boothman revealed her parents got divreced so she didn’t know much about her paternal family.
She said: “I spoke with one of the researchers at Finders who explained that Angela was a first cousin of my late father.
“It was astounding to hear this as I didn’t know very much about my own father or my father’s family.
“My parents divorced when I was very young and both had illnesses that prevented me from really knowing my father at all.”
Ms Boothman said she never expected to receive the inheritance – but may use it to do some home repairs.
She added: “It is sad that Angela was alone, and sad that I never met her [but] it completed a chapter of my family tree that I did not know even existed and for that I am very grateful.”
It comes after a woman revealed how she inherited a fortune from a complete stranger after first thinking she had been scammed.
Lorraine Gessel, 60, received a whopping £400,000 when an 85-year-old cabin crew member died with no next of kin or will.
The lucky mum, who lives half-way across the world in Canada, said she couldn’t believe she had inherited a fortune by a mystery benefactor.
Meanwhile, another woman revealed how was handed £17,00 by a stranger.
What happens when someone dies without a will?
IF someone in England or Wales dies without a will, their estate is given to their next kin in the following order:
- Husband, wife or civil partner
- Children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and so on
- Mother or father
- Brothers or sisters who share both the same mother and father, or their children (nieces and nephews)
- Half brothers or sisters or their children (nieces and nephews of the half blood or their children). “Half”’ means they share only one parent with the deceased
- Grandparents
- Uncles and aunts or their children (first cousins or their descendants)
- Half uncles and aunts or their children (first cousins of the half blood or their children). “Half” means they only share one grandparent with the deceased, not both
Note that once the highest related relative has claimed, it negates claims made by lower down relatives.
So if you are, for example, a first cousin, you would only be entitled a share in the estate if there are no relatives above you in this order.
How can you find out if you could be due an inheritance?
You can search the list yourself and make a claim, but the process can be expensive and time-consuming.
To see the entire searchable list that is updated daily visit:
http://www.bonavacantialist.co.uk/
You’ll have to build a family tree, listing birth, marriage and death dates, and pay for copies of certificates for each person between you and the deceased.
An heir hunter, like Finders International, does the legwork for you, for a fee.
But bear in mind that you’re probably not the sole heir to an estate and around 95% of those listed are worth less than £1,000.