The new BBC Radio 4 podcast reveals the underworld of the UK's shocking criminals.
Shadow World: The grave robbery hosted by award-winning investigative journalist Sue Mitchell reveals how criminal gangs use AI and fraudulent documents to take homes from the dead, leaving legitimate heirs without inheriting.
The five-part series tells of cases that have never been reported before. One story follows sisters Lisa and Nicole, who were said to inherit a significant amount of money from their estranged aunt Christine in late 2023. Anglia Research Services, a company identifying heirs, informed them that Christine had passed away without a will, and they made her closest surviving relative.
But their excitement turned to shock when a Hungarian named Tamas Schwerksok named him the sole enforcer and beneficiary, describing himself as Christine's “dear friend.”
Matt Bordman, a former police officer of Anglia Research, said it was not uncommon for Will to appear in the process, but in this case there was a red flag right away.
Christine's neighbor, Sue, said Christine never mentioned her Hungarian friend. The will was in 2016, so Christine was tied up in the house and barely accepted visitors. Her address was incorrect and Szvercsok's address was listed as a block of flats that had not been built until 2022.
Despite this, Lisa and Nicole were told there was no police investigation. This process is currently frozen. This means that while Szvercsok cannot own Christine's property, the sisters are said to need to launch a civil lawsuit that costs tens of thousands of pounds to prove that their will is fake.
Sue Mitchell said: “This is the story of criminals who steal the inheritance of other people and take them away from them and their legitimate heirs. You can't believe it's happening now, and no one has stopped these burglars.”
Shadow World: Tomb Robbery is available on BBC Sound starting today, July 5th. The first episode will also air on BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday, July 9th at 9:30am. New episodes are released every week.
