I advised the caller that my mother had been deceased for 8 years. The caller tells me that she is from a life insurance company and that my grandmother had a life insurance policy with them and listed my mom as the beneficiary.
My mom and my grandmother are both deceased. So they lady insinuated that they would pay out the life insurance death benefit from the policy to me. She said they would send me claim forms to fill out and return to them.
Is this some kind of scam? I have never heard of this before.
Yes, it may be real and you may be deserving of the death benefits from your grandmother's policy, since your mom is no longer alive.
Wait until you get the paperwork from the insurance company and then you can determine if the information is real or a scam.
It's possible that the life insurance company did a public records search and learned your grandmother was deceased, thus they were searching for next of kin to close the life insurance account.
Since your mom is deceased the owner of the policy would be:
1st = Your mom's husband, if she was married at the time of her death.
2nd = if she was not married, it would flow to her child/children evenly; if any of the children are deceased that portion would flow to those heirs (which would be the spouse, then children, then your parents, then you & any siblings.)
Once you receive the forms, go down to a local life insurance agent that works with this life insurance company. Ask the life insurance agent for assistance in completing the forms, and perhaps to make contact with the insurance company to verify the situation is real.