Predatory marriage is the practice of marrying an elderly person exclusively for the purpose of gaining access to their estate upon their death.
In many jurisdictions, a marriage arrangement will invalidate any previous will left by the person, resulting in the spouse inheriting the estate.
[1] In the United Kingdom a campaign, Predatory Marriage UK (originally known as Justice for Joan)[2] was started, working to change laws and procedures around marriage to reduce this practice, supported by lawyer Sarah Young[3] of Ridley and Hall.
[8][9] There are several techniques known to have been employed in targeting vulnerable people in this way, often involving coercive and controlling behavior.
One example is convincing a vulnerable person to sign over assets before or after marriage to avoid prenuptials.