Thanks for the reply. The address this company have given me in London belongs to a hotel. On putting the post code into google a long list of companies were listed. Seems like building or unit with several different offices. The phone number is different than the one I was given by the person dealing with the load. So I will be ringing this new number in the morning. Should be interesting. What raised my suspicion was the fact all transactions were via western union. And the people I have been speaking to were of an asian origin. English extremely poor. I have had a few loans in the past but never had to pay tax upfront to release the loan. So looks like I got away with it lightly, just paid my apparent 1st instalment, and not the supposed £375 tax. Also they said, as a gesture of good will (after I complained about the tax) they were going to debit me an extra £1000. Got a few calls to make in the morning. Thanks for your help. One last thing. Will my bank account be safe? I believe they have my account details.

Hi, can anyone please help. My mother recently died, April this year and me and my brother were made the executors of her will. My mother and father were separated at the time of death, but not divorced. Me and my brother went with a well known legal services company to help us sort out the probate and the estate. We were told that everything was finalised, and the grant had been issued and we are in possession of a copy of the grant. Her assets are being cashed, and 80% of the estate would be distributed. This was to happen in a few weeks. Then all of a sudden they said that there was going to be a further 6 month delay. As my mother and father had not divorced, my father was entitled to make a claim on the estate, so there was a 6 month period that he had to do this. My father has no intention in starting any such claim. He received half of the proceeds of the house sale when they separated. Is there anything that can be done to stop this 6 month wait? Can my father go to a solicitor and get something drafted and legally binding to say that he has no plans to make a claim on the estate? Thanks for any help.