Warning issued to thousands as woman unexpectedly receives £17,000 from complete stranger

A warning has been issued after a woman unexpectedly received £17,000 from a person she had never met.

Kimmy Booth, 60, from Canada once received a surprising letter through the post - concerning a stranger with the same surname.

Eileen Booth was a 90-year-old who was once based in London.

She sadly died in a nursing home and had no next of kin, and she hadn't made a will.

This meant that no one would be eligible for her estate because she never had any children.

Getty Stock

However, thanks to professional probate genealogy firm Finders International, they were able to track down her relatives.

They managed to learn of her brother Eric, who had moved to Ottawa back in 1956 with his wife.

The pair gave birth to Kimmy, who was more than surprised to receive a whopping £17,000 in 2021.

"It came completely out of the blue," the 60-year-old told The Sun.

"Initially, I didn’t really know what to think.

"It came as a huge surprise to find out my late father had a sister, and that we had never met or heard of her – a part of his life that was left unsaid."

She said her dad passed away 47 years ago and that she never kept in touch with his family in England.

The mum-of-two added: "Once I was told about my aunt Eileen, I made a special request to get any photos of her.

"I felt it was important to know her, even though we will never get to meet her.

"Thanks to the work of Finders we now have names, dates and pictures of my dad’s side of the family – so I am very grateful for that."

She's already spent a bit of the money on a new bed and loveseat for her new home.

Getty Stock

Danny Curran, Finders International, said: "Families lose touch for a multitude of reasons.

"It happens frequently and situations like this are more common than one might expect.

"Without a will we have no idea what Eileen would have wanted to do with her money.

"It is great to see that instead it has been given to her relatives and Kimmy has now been able to piece together further details on her family."

Danny issued a warning that had the team not found Kimmy, the money would have gone to the Treasury.

There are around 6,500 unclaimed estates on the Bona Vacantia list (those with an ownerless estate), according to Finder's International.

Family members and heirs have just 12 years to claim an estate once it has been reported unclaimed to the Crown.

Estates must also have a minimum value of £500.