Relative connections - scam?

Mistermeaner

hi, posting this on behalf of my father who is in his late 80s, for whom i look after all admin etc.

He received a letter from 'Relative connections' - they claim to be a professional tracing company who are contacting him on behalf of a client (unspecified) and asking him to contact them to verify who he is whereupon they will provide more details.

Despite looking very professional and a quick google suggesting they are legit it just screams 'scam' to me - i expect they'll ask for all sorts of his info to 'verify' him leading to potential identify theft/fraud.

That said they do appear legit.....

Do users of this forum have any knowledge, experience or awareness of this company?

https://relativeconnections.co.uk/


Thanks

Brie

A quick google to scam detectors seems to give them a fairly good score, i.e. they are safe.  That said while the company on trustpilot says they've been around since 2008 the scam site says their web domain is only 3 years old.  

relativeconnections.co.uk Reviews: Is this site a scam or legit? – Scam Detector

I think I'd be willing to ring them up, withholding your phone number if possible, and just say that you are making enquiries on behalf of your dad.  Or maybe say your client with a hint of "i'm a solicitor or guardian" thrown in.  If they are a scam and think you are someone official they'll likely shut down the call quickly.  Otherwise they might be able to give you more info on why they want to talk to your dad.  Might be an inheritance, might be some long lost sibling of yours.  

Grumpelstiltskin

As Brie says no harm in phoning them, don't tell them it's your father just say you act on Mr X behalf with all legal matters and see what they say.

MyRealNameToo

Brie said:

A quick google to scam detectors seems to give them a fairly good score, i.e. they are safe.  That said while the company on trustpilot says they've been around since 2008 the scam site says their web domain is only 3 years old.  

There is a company that has the same name going since 2009 but until 2 years ago was called FinderMonkey, so a little out on the dates maybe looks like a name change hence the difference in domains. 

It's a tiny 6 person company, 5 of which are on their website and ties up with the directors. 

RAS

This looks like a privately run company alternative to the Sally Army and they obviously work occasionally as heir hunters.

I'd be very surprised if they would be prepared to just talk to you given their safeguarding rules. You'd need to get your dad on line in the first instance, with the letter,  to authorise discussions with you. I'd suggest you discuss which information he'd be prepared to divulge as part of the security check. Although obviously the fact that he has their letter suggests he's the person of interest.

Based on their web-site, this could be anything from a long lost family member about whom he knows to DNA links to a child about whom he knows nothing, or an inheritance. Read up their blog and talk through the scenarios before calling. 

And agree that if at any time he wants to halt, he has the total right to privacy, or to take time to think it through.

bouicca21

Heir hunters.  Lots of firms do this.  A friend had a similar experience, though it turned there wasn’t a fortune to inherit as he just had the same name as the one they were looking for.

They won’t be looking for details of the bank account, but will need family history type info so they can connect into the family tree of the deceased intestate.

Mistermeaner

hi rang them gave nothing other than their reference was able to ascertain enough info to establish that my dad wasnt the guy they were looking for - they do seem legit and were happy to provide details without requiring me to provide anything.