How fake-will fraudsters steal tens of millions from the useless

In late 2023, sisters Lisa and Nicole have been informed they’d inherited a considerable sum from their late Aunt Christine. But whereas they have been absorbing this life-changing information, the windfall was simply as rapidly snatched away.

A person unknown to Christine’s household, pals or neighbours, appeared – apparently from nowhere – and produced a will, naming him sole inheritor to her total property.

Doubts in regards to the man’s declare grew as troubling particulars emerged. However, the police and probate service stated they’d not examine.

Lisa and Nicole’s is one in every of a number of comparable instances investigated by BBC News within the south of England.

We discovered mounting proof {that a} felony gang has been finishing up systematic will fraud by exploiting weaknesses within the probate system, stealing tens of millions of kilos from the estates of useless folks, and committing critical tax fraud.

Lisa and Nicole have been upset to listen to in regards to the demise of their aunt, Christine Harverson, whom they’d not seen since their early childhood. They have been additionally shocked to be informed that they stood to inherit her total property, together with a home in Wimbledon, south London, which may very well be value almost £1m. She had not left a will, and so they have been her closest residing family.

The sisters have been alerted to their inheritance by an “heir-finder” firm, Anglia Research Services. Heir-finders use an official authorities register that lists estates the place no will has been made. They analysis the useless particular person’s household so as to determine, find and make contact with the rightful heirs.

In return for a portion of the inheritance, these firms act on the heirs’ behalf and apply for what’s often known as a grant of probate. This offers them the authorized proper to take care of a deceased particular person’s property – in different phrases, their property, cash and possessions.

However, on this event, the applying for probate on behalf of Lisa and Nicole was stopped in its tracks.

A Hungarian man by the title of Tamas Szvercsok contacted the probate service, and produced a will describing him as Christine’s “dear friend”.

It named him the beneficiary of her total property, in addition to sole executor – the particular person legally accountable for finishing up the directions within the will.

The risk that Mr Szvercsok was real, initially was not dismissed out of hand.

“It happens – sometimes cases slip through the net and a will is unearthed,” says Matt Boardman, a former police officer who works for Anglia Research.

However, there have been clear indicators one thing was amiss:

• Christine’s neighbour and buddy, Sue, stated she had by no means talked about a Hungarian buddy at any level within the years they’d identified one another
• The will was dated 2016 – Christine was housebound and disabled by this time, and receiving virtually no guests
• The phrases of the desire meant that Christine would have disinherited her husband and carer Dennis, who in 2016 was nonetheless alive (he died in 2020)
• Moreover, as a result of Dennis was the joint proprietor of their home, Christine couldn’t have legally bequeathed the home with out his consent
• After Dennis’s demise, Christine entered a care house, however there was no document of Mr Szvercsok ever visiting her

Other much more troubling particulars stood out.

Christine’s house handle was misspelled on the desire, and though it was dated 2016, the handle given for Mr Szvercsok was a block of flats that had not been constructed till 2021.

Matt Boardman contacted Mr Szvercsok, who replied by electronic mail: “I never heard of any family. I’m the sole executor of her will.”

Despite presenting what they thought was a powerful case to police and the probate service, Lisa and Nicole have been informed they must deliver a civil motion in the event that they needed to show that the desire was a faux. That would value tens of hundreds of kilos which they don’t have.

Lisa now says she typically needs she had by no means been informed in regards to the will within the first place: “All it’s done is bring misery really, and heartache. It’s just a whole nightmare.”

Stealing a useless particular person’s property and monetary belongings seems to be extraordinarily straightforward below UK regulation, if no will may be situated.

The official authorities register of unclaimed estates in England and Wales is known as Bona Vacantia (Latin for “vacant goods”), and is freely accessible on-line. It at present incorporates about 6,000 names and is up to date day by day.

Legitimate heir-hunting firms use Bona Vacantia to analysis potential purchasers, but it surely additionally seems to have turn out to be a priceless useful resource for criminals.

To declare an property the place there is no such thing as a identified inheritor, a fraudster merely has to discover a promising title on Bona Vacantia, produce a will rapidly sufficient, and be awarded grant of probate.

Since 2017 it has been attainable to use for grant of probate on-line, however critics of the system say it’s failing to detect suspicious candidates, and it additionally seems to extend the chance for tax fraud.

When somebody dies, their property needs to be assessed for inheritance tax. This is just not payable on estates value £325,000 or much less, however any quantity over that threshold – with some exceptions – is taxed at 40%.

It’s the duty of the particular person awarded grant of probate to verify inheritance tax has been paid.

Applicants for grant of probate should full a kind to say this has been carried out, however below the present preparations, they want do not more than declare on the web kind that no tax is due.

It is a system that depends largely on belief, however offers ample alternative for that belief to be roundly abused.

During our investigations now we have come throughout instances the place estates have been valued at just below the inheritance tax threshold, though they embrace property value way more.

One of those was the property of Charles Haxton.

At the time of his demise in 2021, Charles Haxton was residing alone in a terraced home in Tooting, south London.

He was reclusive and solely often spoke to neighbours, though one in every of them, Roye Chapman, was there for him close to the top when he suffered a nasty fall exterior.

“I rang the police and then got him up and got him into the ambulance,” he says. “His head was all cut open, and then two weeks later, he died.”

No will was initially discovered for Mr Haxton, and his title and handle appeared on Bona Vacantia. This prompted Anglia Research to search for attainable heirs, and so they informed a number of of his cousins that they may very well be in line to inherit Mr Haxton’s property.

Then, as with Lisa and Nicole, the cousins have been informed {that a} will had appeared in spite of everything, leaving all the pieces to at least one man – additionally Hungarian – known as Roland Silye.

The household initially accepted his declare, to have been an outdated buddy of Mr Haxton, however one relation, Barry, obtained a duplicate of the desire and was struck by how odd it regarded.

It left Mr Silye two properties – not solely Mr Haxton’s house in London, but in addition a home in Hertfordshire.

Together, the 2 properties would have been value about £2m. However, Mr Silye listed the worth of the property as £320,500 – simply £4,500 wanting the quantity at which inheritance tax kicked in.

What was even stranger was that Mr Haxton had by no means owned, and had no connection to, any home in Hertfordshire.

We visited this property. It was giant and dilapidated, and neighbours informed us it had been unoccupied for a very long time.

The puzzle of the additional home additionally caught the eye of Neil Fraser, a associate in one other heir-hunting firm. He thinks that Mr Silye could have bundled the Hertfordshire property right into a will in an try and faux possession.

“He must have gone past that house and thought, ‘I’ll just take that derelict house. How can I get that house? Well, I can put it inside a will!”

Crucially, the desire was accepted by the probate service, who didn’t verify or elevate any questions in regards to the Hertfordshire home.

We have been unable to hint Roland Silye in our investigation, and his motivation stays a thriller.

The will wouldn’t give him possession of the Hertfordshire home – the property registry and the electoral roll title the proprietor as a lady who can be in her 70s.

However, Mr Fraser speculates that the desire may very well be utilized in future as leverage to take possession when the actual proprietor dies.

Despite reporting his suspicions to the police and the probate service, he says motion was not taken.

Mr Silye cleared probate not just for Mr Haxton’s property, but in addition that of George Woon, an aged man from Southall, west London.

Mr Woon additionally died in 2021, and shortly afterwards, his title appeared on Bona Vacantia. Mr Silye got here ahead with a will which named him as sole inheritor. Mr Woon’s home was later offered at public sale for £360,000.

We requested an professional in monetary fraud, Graham Barrow, to verify whether or not there may very well be any connection between Roland Silye and Tamas Szvercsok.

Both have names of Hungarian origin, and, based on Companies House, each look like administrators in a fancy and interlinked internet of firms.

Mr Barrow established that the handle Mr Szvercsok gave in Mrs Harverson’s will was additionally utilized by Mr Silye for a few of his firms.

What these firms do is unclear, though some have been struck off for fraudulent addresses, and others have been warned for failing to offer accounts.

The sample – a number of companies, associated addresses, comparable names – is one which regularly signifies a felony community, says Mr Barrow.

He provides that proudly owning a number of firms can enable criminals to disperse funds throughout totally different accounts and areas, and makes life harder for regulation enforcement.

Another Hungarian title that includes on this internet of firms is Bela Kovacs, who, based on a will dated 2021, was inheritor to the whole property of Michael Judd, from Pinner, west London.

According to his neighbours, Mr Judd was a multi-talented particular person with a distinguished document within the safety providers. However, in his remaining years he had turn out to be one thing of a hoarder, seldom leaving his home.

One neighbour, Chris, informed us he thought the desire had sounded unusual and never solely as a result of Mr Judd had by no means talked about Bela Kovacs.

A couple of months earlier than his demise in 2024, Mr Judd informed Chris he had made a will way back, however the folks named on it have been all now useless. In any case, he added, he didn’t know the place it was.

“I suppose I better try and dig it out some time,” Chris remembers him saying.

He feels it is inconceivable that Mr Judd would have troubled himself with these choices if he had made a will three years beforehand.

We tracked Mr Kovacs right down to a luxurious property within the Watford space however he refused to speak to us.

Other components appear to attach these instances.

The wills made out for Charles Haxton, George Woon and the others now we have seen, seem to have been written by the identical particular person, based on handwriting professional Christina Strang.

“The numbers two, four and seven are all written in the same way on several addresses,” she says.

She additionally sees different similarities, such because the spacing of the letters in numerous signatures, and the positioning of the signatures on the road.

“It seems to be one person actually signing, forging all of these.”

Ms Strang additionally thinks this similar particular person could have additionally solid signatures for the witnesses named on the wills, none of whom, we discovered, have been apparently identified to the deceased, and a few of whom may need been utterly fictitious.

There are disturbing similarities in the best way that properties have been handled throughout and after the probate course of:

• Shortly after Mr Szvercsok made his preliminary declare on Mrs Harverson’s property, her nieces found her Wimbledon home had been ransacked
• A workman employed to empty Mr Judd’s home informed us he had been instructed to empty it rapidly, though this meant having to destroy what gave the impression to be priceless heirlooms
• After Mr Haxton’s home was cleared, the home windows and doorways have been blacked out, and the locks strengthened; a 12 months later, it emerged that it was getting used as a hashish farm (a proven fact that solely emerged when a rival gang tried to power entry and neighbours alerted the police)

As a results of our investigation, financial institution accounts for dozens of firms linked to the suspected fraudsters, have been suspended.

In addition, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has informed us it now desires to query Roland Silye about inheritance tax which he may owe on the property of Charles Haxton.

Bela Kovacs was granted probate over the property of Michael Judd, which was valued at £310,000 – just under the inheritance tax threshold. However, HMRC’s curiosity was additionally piqued by this case, and it has now suspended a deliberate sale of Mr Judd’s bungalow in Pinner.

Meanwhile, the dispute over Christine Harverson’s property means the probate course of has been frozen, and it appears to be like unlikely to be resolved quickly. Tamas Szvercsok can’t take possession of her Wimbledon home, however Lisa and Nicole lack the funds to go to the civil courtroom and show his will is faux.

We wrote to Mr Szvercsok and Mr Silye on the addresses equipped with their probate purposes, providing them a proper of reply, however we didn’t hear again.

When we shared our findings with the Ministry of Justice, which is in the end accountable for the probate system, it informed us that it was “working with law enforcement to ensure criminals feel the full force of the law”.

However, a special image emerges from others who know the system.

“Because probate isn’t high profile – it’s not sort of, for want of a better word, politically sexy, it doesn’t stay in the headlines,” says former MP Sir Bob Neill, who till the 2024 normal election was the chair of the House of Commons Justice Select Committee.

In 2023, the choose committee launched an inquiry into the probate system, but it surely was lower quick by the election.

Sir Bob believes an over-eagerness to chop prices by digitising the probate system, has produced weaknesses which fraudsters at the moment are exploiting.

“When you had regional offices you had human awareness, contact and scrutiny that was better suited to pick up cases where things have gone wrong,” he says. “A purely sort of automated system isn’t really good at doing that.”

He says the system launched in 2017 was an inexpensive and fast repair. It lacks the sophistication, he says, of packages utilized by insurance coverage firms to take care of fraud, which might detect patterns of suspicious behaviour.

His issues are echoed by Anglia Research’s investigator, Matt Boardman, who says that beforehand, executors of wills would have needed to attend their native probate registry to swear an oath, which “would allow the registrar to evaluate every single case on its own merit”.

He says the system’s transfer on-line “completely eliminated” the possibility to query the executor’s manner or behaviour.

“Goodness knows just how many of these have already gone through and been processed by the probate registry,” he says, “and how rich we’re making these people.”