New Scam targeting lawyers

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Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 7:33 am

I'm not sure where this guy is based but assume this is either advance fee or forged cheque fraud. This came in to a large number of lawyers via their websites.

Would be great if someone would like to put their 'Barrister' skills to the test and see if this is baitable. I would try but I don't think an NZ lawyer pretending to be an NZ lawyer would be a very good look.

Steve ()
Hello,
Good day, I am Steve maughan and I live in London I am moving to New Zealand with my family in few months and I am buying a house before coming over, I have seen pictures of the house on line and I have agreed with the price also, what I need from you is if you can do a documentation between me and the seller and also if you can advise me on anything more so that everything will go on fine so that I will not have any problems, please send me and email on any details you need on the house and also how much it will cost me for you working for me until I finish buying the house.
Thank you,
Steve maughan.

Baiting Guru Joined: 10 Oct 2003 Posts: 4747

It looks like a fake check scam just glancing at it.

419Eater is my life Joined: 22 Jan 2010 Posts: 329

Sounds like a poorly thought-out scam to me. Obviously, nobody's immune, but you'd think that a lawyer would be more likely to recognise that kind of scam, especially if dubious legal principles are employed, as they often are.

Still, it only takes a few victims for it to work, I suppose.

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 2:20 pm

Lawyers and law firms are not immune to scams. The first article below lists a law firm scammed out of nearly $400,000

http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/sep/06/scam-targets-law-firms/

The article in this one where I have bold, I have baited such schemes -- I have several personas which are lawyers and I get these scams all the time

http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/e-scams

Quote:

01/21/10—The FBI continues to receive reports of counterfeit check schemes targeting U.S. law firms. As previously reported, scammers send e-mails to lawyers, claiming to be overseas and seeking legal representation to collect delinquent payments from third parties in the U.S. The law firm receives a retainer agreement, invoices reflecting the amount owed, and a check payable to the law firm. The firm is instructed to extract the retainer fee, including any other fees associated with the transaction, and wire the remaining funds to banks in Korea, China, Ireland, or Canada. By the time the check is determined to be counterfeit, the funds have already been wired overseas.

In a new twist, the fraudulent client seeking legal representation is an ex-wife "on assignment" in an Asian country, and she claims to be pursuing a collection of divorce settlement monies from her ex-husband in the U.S. The law firm agrees to represent the ex-wife, sends an e-mail to the ex-husband, and receives a "certified" check for the settlement via delivery service. The ex-wife instructs the firm to wire the funds, less the retainer fee, to an overseas bank account. When the scam is executed successfully, the law firm wires the money before discovering the check is counterfeit.

All Internet users need to be cautious when they receive unsolicited e-mails. Law firms are advised to conduct as much due diligence as possible before engaging in transactions with parties who are handling their business solely via e-mail, particularly those parties claiming to reside overseas.

Please view an additional public service announcement posted to the IC3 website regarding a similar Asian extortion scheme. Individuals who receive information pertaining to counterfeit check schemes are encouraged to file a complaint at www.IC3.gov.

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 4:00 pm

Indeed a cheque scam. Got a few of them in my catcher.
I am baiting him for sure - I love these guys... and that they are falling for a lawyer.com email address Laughing

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2011 8:56 pm

ChoppaOfDolla wrote:

Sounds like a poorly thought-out scam to me. Obviously, nobody's immune, but you'd think that a lawyer would be more likely to recognise that kind of scam, especially if dubious legal principles are employed, as they often are.

I'm a lawyer, and I've heard of stories of several firms getting burned on these. Yes, you'd expect lawyers to be on heightened alert, by the scheme is pretty sophisticated.

The common one is a fake check scam. The lawyer accepts a settlement amount, waits and once it clears the bank, sends of a check for the client's "share." The lawyer is in a difficult position because of the obligation to disburse the client's funds promptly. Until this started getting some publicity, most of us assumed that when the bank told us the check had cleared, we are free to disburse. However, the law allows a bank to "clear" a check and come back some time later and reverse the transaction when the check is discovered to be a fraud. Seems to me the bank should be on the hook, not the lawyer, when the bank confirms that the check has cleared. But that's how it is.

Baiting Guru Joined: 27 Mar 2011 Posts: 21158

Quote:

In a new twist, the fraudulent client seeking legal representation is an ex-wife "on assignment" in an Asian country, and she claims to be pursuing a collection of divorce settlement monies from her ex-husband in the U.S. The law firm agrees to represent the ex-wife, sends an e-mail to the ex-husband, and receives a "certified" check for the settlement via delivery service. The ex-wife instructs the firm to wire the funds, less the retainer fee, to an overseas bank account.

BRUIN put one of these in Surplus a few days ago. I probably did not go the proper route by asking for copies of prior judgement. I have had no response from that one.

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 9:34 pm

my lawyer.com character is just waiting for 475000 Dollar... what Bank is going to cash such cheque without double checking???

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 28 Oct 2011 Posts: 1

Most law firms in the UK won't accept personal checks for large amounts, this must be the reason why

Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2011 2:08 pm

Plenty of lawyers and others in the legal community are just as insane as any layfolk, TRUST ME.

In the US a few years back a Judge sued a poor Korean dry cleaner for 67 million dollars for losing his pants. Actually, that's more in line of the actions of a scammer than a victim.

Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2011 2:52 pm

Law firms are a huge target for cheque lads.

Another variation is to approach the lawyer as Company A and to ask them to recover money from Company B.
The lawyer contacts Company B, it agrees to make a payment and sends a fake cheque.
The lawyer then sends the money on to Company A.
The cheque bounces and Company A and B ride off into the sunset.

Obviously, both companies are the same lad.

I've seen lads working this scam clear hundreds of thousands of dollars in one hit. Some have very professional set-ups involving multiple phone lines with recorded messages. In some cases, they've hired Westerners to record those messages. Lawyers are no more immune to falling to scams than anyone else.

It's a scam which won't work in the UK, simply because a law firm in that country, waits for the cheque to clear before releasing any funds.

Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2011 3:01 pm

As SOOI says the lawyer scammers can make huge amounts of money from one job.

Here is one cheque amongst many that I received when I was baiting a cheque gang a couple of years ago.

This news link on ScamWarners also shows how much can be made from it.

http://www.scamwarners.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=13561

Quote:

Ekhator and his gang were alleged to have, between August 2008 and August 2010 fleeced about 70 US law of over $29 million

here · Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2011 3:13 pm

^^^^
SOOI is correct almost all UK solicitors have their banking arrangements set up so that every cheque paid in is 'special clearance' (FOC to them, they charge their clients a fee however Shocked

)

this means that the cheque is sent direct to the bank by post not through the clearing system issuing bank then has to give an answer re:paid / not paid on the day they receive it

PS
I have one of these type of scams running but my RL work is sooo manic, does anyone have a 'charges' schedule made up that I could steal?

Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2011 3:22 pm

We ge these all the time at work. One of our young associates fell for it. Thankfully due to the size of the check of was run past me before deposit.

It is a cashiers check of very high quality.

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