The government pulled the list, which contains detailed accounts of the estates of those who die intestate, from the public domain in July after a BBC investigation uncovered a series of frauds. Organised criminals appear to have used the list to steal the estates by posing as ‘friends’ of the deceased and presenting fake wills.
Simonne Llewellyn, chief executive of UK probate research firm Finders International, said the decision ‘marks an important moment for the probate sector.
‘As professional probate researchers, we support the removal of the list as a responsible and necessary step to reduce opportunistic fraud and safeguard estates and the interests of genuine heirs. However, this also presents an opportunity to explore safer, more robust alternatives to ensure estates are securely passed to those entitled—without putting sensitive information at risk.’
Llewellyn, whose firm locates and identifies heirs and unknown next of kin worldwide, said the probate system ‘works best when there’s a balance between transparency and control, and when all parties are committed to protecting estates.
‘Professional probate genealogists play a key role here. With decades of experience tracing next of kin and verifying entitlement, we work alongside solicitors and public bodies to ensure estates are passed on with care and oversight. Such research can help identify truly bona vacantia estates, and prevent them being wrongly claimed or left unclaimed altogether.
‘Fraudulent wills pose a real threat. But so does the risk of genuine beneficiaries being shut out. With the right safeguards, we can achieve both fairness and security.’
The probate system, which was digitised in 2017, lacks the sophistication to pick up suspicious patterns of behaviour and lets the claims go through, according to former Justice Committee chair and MP Sir Bob Neill, who spoke to the BBC for its report.
