Please note that this article is not about genealogy as ancestry research, but rather about probate genealogy.

Reason 1: Most Japanese people have never heard of the Probate Genealogist profession

Recipient’s thought process:

“A relative in America died” = might be true
“There’s an inheritance” = might be true
“Pay 30% of the estate as fee” = What? Too expensive
“Is that even a real profession?” = Never heard of it
Translation tools render “Probate genealogist” as “遺言検認系図学者” (literally “Testament Probate Genealogy Scholar”). Why is a “scholar” handling inheritance cases instead of a lawyer or a court?
“Unknown profession + excessive fee + money involved = definitely a scam”

Reason 2: Matches the typical pattern of special fraud in Japan

Typical Japanese special fraud pattern:

“You have the right to ○○”
“You will receive money”
“However, a fee is required”
“Please pay money”

Probate genealogist approach:

“You are an heir”
“There is an inheritance”
“However, please pay 30%”
“Please sign this contract and pay money”

→ Perfect match.

Decedents whose estates require heir search orders are estranged from their heirs. Decades of no contact are not uncommon. To such heirs, this can only appear to be a scam impersonating a distant relative. Suspicions intensify: “Why now?” “How does this person know?”

Reason 3: No means of verification

When recipients try to verify authenticity:

Cannot confirm the decedent’s status because they are estranged and don’t have contact information
Consult police → “Likely a scam”
A “genealogy scholar” handling inheritance cases contradicts Japanese common sense, where people generally handle procedures themselves except for registration, tax matters and lawsuits.
“Why 30% fee? If I handle it myself, I get 100%?”
“Is this company a scam using Japanese personal information obtained through some means?”

Cannot verify = suspicion of fraud. Doubts remain.

Reason 4: Fundamental difference from Japan’s inheritance system

In Japan:

Heirs can be definitively identified through the koseki (family register) system
If any one heir obtains koseki, all heirs are revealed
There is no independent profession of “heir searching”
Japanese people can obtain all the family register information necessary for inheritance procedures by filling out a single application form with only five items: address, name, date of birth, registered domicile, and purpose of acquisition, which takes only 30 minutes to an hour. Missing relatives are rare, and even if they do exist, they are resolved through the legal system without any search. There is no room for probate genealogists.

American Probate genealogy:

Specialized investigation required to identify heirs
Contingency fee (20-33% of estate) is standard

For Japanese people unaware of this systemic difference:

“30% of estate for heir searching” is incomprehensible
“In Japan, it’s free through koseki”
“Can only seem like a scam”