The UK government's Bona Vacantia list of unclaimed estates in England and Wales has been temporarily removed from the gov.uk website. This action follows a BBC investigation that uncovered evidence of a crime gang using the list to commit millions of pounds in fraud by creating fake wills. The Ministry of Justice is supporting ongoing investigations. Lawyers welcome the removal but call for more systemic checks to protect the probate system from fraud, especially given its online nature since 2017.
List of unclaimed estates taken offline after BBC investigation
Ministry of JusticeFraud
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TL;DR: Key points with love ❤️The UK government's Bona Vacantia list of unclaimed estates in England and Wales has been temporarily removed from the gov.uk website. This action follows a BBC investigation that uncovered evidence of a crime gang using the list to commit millions of pounds in fraud by creating fake wills. The Ministry of Justice is supporting ongoing investigations. Lawyers welcome the removal but call for more systemic checks to protect the probate system from fraud, especially given its online nature since 2017.
Trending- 1 2017: Probate largely carried out online
- 2 Saturday 5 July: BBC News article published recounting fraud cases
- 3 July 7: Bona Vacantia list temporarily removed from gov.uk website
- 4 Ongoing: Ministry of Justice working with agencies on investigations
- Bona Vacantia list temporarily removed from gov.uk website
- Ongoing investigations into alleged fraudulent activity
- Impact on legitimate heir-hunting companies
- Calls for more robust checks in the probate system
- Bank accounts for dozens of companies connected to suspected fraudsters suspended
What: The official list of unclaimed estates (Bona Vacantia) in England and Wales has been taken offline. This was done after a BBC investigation revealed a crime gang was using the list to commit fraud by creating fake wills to inherit money and property. The Ministry of Justice is investigating the alleged fraudulent activity.
When: List taken offline after BBC investigation published on Saturday 5 July. Probate largely online since 2017.
Where: England, Wales, gov.uk website.
Why: A crime gang was allegedly using the publicly available list to commit fraud, creating fake wills for unclaimed estates. The removal aims to prevent further fraudulent activity and support ongoing investigations.
How: The BBC investigation uncovered the fraud. The Ministry of Justice responded by temporarily removing the list. Lawyers are calling for more robust checks in the online probate system.