Email Scam Alert: Beware of Unsolicited Business Offers in Your Inbox
by Elizabeth Marum
DeKalb Bar News Editor
em@torrientemarum.com
www.torrientemarum.com
About a year and a half ago, I first came across a check scam targeting attorneys with trust accounts. In a nutshell, the firm where I worked received a letter (I believe by UPS or FedEx) with a certified check and instructions for a wire-transfer. The letter asked that the firm deposit the check in their trust or escrow account and then wire the money to the payee less any fees owed to the firm. Immediately, the office manager was on the phone with the GBI, confirming that this was, in fact, a counterfeit check scam.
Twice in the last six months, I have had two colleagues of mine forward an email they received as a possible “referral.” My colleagues thought it “might” be a scam but forwarded the message to my office since it was a family law matter with a divorcee in China trying to obtain legal representation to enforce a U.S. settlement agreement against her ex-husband. In the most recent one, the divorcee (a “Pamela Lee”) asked for my help in enforcing a large cash settlement agreement between her and her ex-husband. Since I first came across this scam more than 18 months ago, the criminals have adapted and changed their tactics. Instead of sending a check and detailing that they wanted you to deposit it in your trust or escrow account, they now tell you their story and ask for you to contact them if you are interested in helping. They even throw in convenient legal questions to sound more legitimate, like “I understand that being remarried does not void the agreement?”
A quick Google search of “Pamela Lee” and divorce, while bringing up hits on Pamela Anderson Lee, also brought up “Pamela Lee Divorce Scam” on the Anti-Fraud International message board. When I opened the link, the material was exactly as I had received it. Not surprisingly, there are similar scams circulating the web and junking up our inboxes.
Some key things included in these emails that set off my radar to a scam:
- They each opened with “Dear Counsel.”
- The plaintiff is out of the country but the defendant “resides in your jurisdiction” (wherever that may be).
- “I will be providing further information upon your request.”
- “It is my belief that a Law firm like yours is needed to help me” or “I believe that with the help of your Law firm . . .”
The Georgia Bar is advising attorneys who receive unsolicited emails and business offers to be handled solely via email to be cautious and conduct due diligence before accepting or transferring any funds.
The FBI has also issued an advisory further detailing that:
“. . . scammers send emails 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.”
If you receive any emails or information about these check scams the FBI encourages you to file a complaint at www.IC3.gov. Visit the Lawyers Scam blog for other examples of real scam emails received by attorneys.
For more information see:
http://www.gabar.org/news/e-mail_scams_targeting_lawyers_and_law_firms/
http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/e-scams