Scam, because they want money upfront from her to procure the inheritance.

At the same time, if she indeed does have a cousin, maybe something was posted in a local paper and this company is trying to cash in by notifying her.

I imagine there are ways to research this and maybe she will have an inheritance coming to her.

Just from quick googling, my understanding is this is POTENTIALLY not a scam (see for example: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/mar/19/swiss-banks-dormant-accounts-money) and yes France has stiff inheritance taxes and this company charges a stiff fee as well (I believe 25% of the outcome of the estate)

http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/GEN-FR/1995-10/0814071731 

If it is legit, the money should come out of the estate, never up front. And it seems like a good thing to take to a lawyer who knows something about French inheritance laws. Also seems like an easy thing to convert to a scam.

Sound advice. I'll see if I can track down an attorney in the town where she last lived. Curious to see who would charge more, the attorney or this company...

I know that in the US there are companies that will search state unclaimed property databases then contact search for and contact people to tell them that there is money in their name waiting for them. They charge a fee for 'finding' your money-but it's a free service all states offer, you just need to do the searching yourself.

I wonder if this isn't a similar type of operation? I don't think the finders places charge up front here, and most times if someone wants money up front it's a sign it's a scam. Would definitely be worth researching into more-especially if you have the name of the deceased.

I had a company like that contact me about unclaimed funds in my mother's name. They don't tell you what it is or the amount but you can check online for yourself. Hers was just a check from Blue Cross that she never cashed and BC turned the money over to a bank in her name. I still have to pursue it, but it was a small amount and you have to provide all this documentation - death certificate - a will, etc. Anyway, here are some links from a google search that might be helpful before she hires an attorney.

I forgot to include the link, but it won't let me cut and paste it anyway. Do a google search for 'unclaimed funds in French banks' and you're good to go. I wish her good luck.

Good idea chickie! Thank you!

Interesting, but my mother (now deceased) received a similar letter this week. Coutot Roehrig names my cousin and indicates he has died, and they say were hired by the "Notiaires". My mother is probably entitled to any monies if there are any, there is no real information as to date my cousin died in Paris (he was living there). They want a right to 30% of net assets (inheritance) and reimbursement of "expenses and fees for the file preparation". I would think, too, that the estate would hire/pay for the certification of heirs. I'm wary, and trying to do some on line research. May see a lawyer. if there are funds coming to my mother, I assume they would then pass to her heirs should there be anything if she's deceased.

Boy that Coutot really got around!

@val -- I don't see the original poster's updated reply... to see if they actually went through with the claim.

I does smell like a scam, or at least, a company trying to profit from deaths. But after further research, it's actually based in some truth.

A notaire is a type of semi-legal firm that handles estates and home sales registrations (like a trust company in the latter case). They can hire a firm to research a family tree. According to my very basic understanding of French inheritance law, by default French law dictates that inheritance goes first to children and then their children, bypassing spouses and other relatives.

Now, I went to google.fr and searched the company name and "arnaque" (French slang for "scam") and found a bunch of threads relating to geneology, the firm, notaires and closure of estates. It seems they are indeed a type of geneology research firm that is sometimes contracted by a Notaire to do research.

Here's a blog note (which was published later as an article) from Le Monde, a newspaper, that indeed indicates what seems to be a legitimate search initiated by a Notaire, and a subsequent fight over the compulsory fees charge by the Coutot:

http://sosconso.blog.lemonde.fr/2017/06/21/pas-de-prescription-pour-la-facture-du-genealogiste/

Here's an article regarding the dispute of the use of these firms and their charges, as a followup to the post, as the owners of the firm because incensed by the bad publicity:

https://www.rfgenealogie.com/s-informer/infos/nouveautes/les-genealogistes-successoraux-dans-la-ligne-de-mire-du-monde

Drop the URLs into translate.google.com if you don't read French.

Basically, it seems these firms are sometimes hired to research family trees and find heirs, similar to the US. If this is the way you find out about an inheritance, you indeed can be on the hook to pay their fees (from the inheritance) in order to claim your piece (however small it may be).

Now that said, this could be a scam from a person imitating Cuotot. It may be best to contact the firm directly to verify, if you choose to proceed. Upfront fees do set off a red flag as noted in the earlier replies.

Here's the Notaires' site for more info:

https://www.notaires.fr/en/order-succession-and-inheritance-tax

OP here.

I never posted a follow-up because we ended up not responding to Cuotot. The family was in agreement that there was a very slim chance of there being any unclaimed inheritance from the decedent.

There are many companies like this even in the US. They are not scams, but they do charge a fee to do what you could do yourself if you take the trouble.

And yeah, there is often something that got overlooked, My mom died in 2001 and just a couple of years ago I got a letter from one of these bounty hunters about unclaimed money. I investigated on my own and it is there-- a small life insurance policy we knew nothing about. But there is substantial paperwork involved in claiming these moneys, even in the US. And France invented bureaucracy.

about 15 years ago, or longer, I discovered through my own search a sum of money of my grandmother's in the state unclaimed funds. I notified my Dad who was her only surviving child (his brother had passed) and I had thought he had claimed it; but some years later, after he had passed away, I searched again (always looking for my own then checking my relatives) and saw that it had never been claimed.

So I asked my stepmother about it -- she said they decided it was too much trouble to involve her attorney for too small of a sum, but I was welcome to pursue it. To me and my brother, it wasn't a small sum! And if my dad had tried, it would have been much simpler as he would only have had to provide the death certificates and wills of his mother and brother, showing that he was the beneficiary of their estates, no attorney needed. Unfortunately with his death it became much more complicated, what with his will, a trust that was set up but was never carried through, his widow, multiple grandchildren now in line to inherit (the sum would have to be divided amongst us all, and there is one whom no one knows how to reach, and one has passed) -- in the end the state still has the money and always will.

I had a similar situation this year. I got a letter saying that my great-uncle had left a will in my favor. But I didn't believe it and contacted my lawyer. He checked the information and it turned out that I becoming inheritance scam victim. Here's some helpful information on the subject https://inheritanceadvanced.com/blog/avoid-becoming-inheritance-scam-victim/

I have also been contacted by this company regarding the estate of a distant cousin.but they have not asked for any money in fact they state that their fee will be taken from the estate when it settles. This I believe is the usual way 'Heir Hunters' make their