"AvoidAClaim" Blog

Six Ontario lawyers have notified us that they have been contacted by the purported Henriet Kazuo with regards to a collaborative family law agreement collection. This is a currently active fraud with some lawyers reporting to us that they have receieved phone calls from the alleged ex-husband promising payment with the last 24 hours (October 4, 2011). The wording of the initial contact email, and even the name of the ex-husband, is nearly identical to a previous scam we’ve seen under the name Kazuo Miyoko. For details on how this fraud works and a full list of names attached to it see our Confirmed Fraud page.

Here is the message:

From: Henriet m. Kazuo [mailto:henrietkazuo11973@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 28, 2011 10:47 AM
To: lawyer name
Subject: Dear lawyer name, inquiry

Henriet.

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Lawyers in Ontario and the U.S. have notified us that they’ve received emails from the purported William Abare with regards to a breach of contract. We’ve only seen the initial email, and so don’t yet know how exactly the fraud would play out, though it would likely progress along the same lines as other commercial debt collection scams we’ve seen. See our Confirmed Fraud page for full details and other names associated with this kind of fraud.

Here is an example of the email, and a contract received by one lawyer.:

From: “William Abare”
To: lawyer
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 3:25 PM
Subject: Contract/Legal Matter

God Bless.

A lawyer who responded to the email got this response:

Thanks for your e-mail message. A copy of the written agreement is
attached for your review. The Contract was executed in London,
Ontario, where Mr. Roberts presently resides. We agreed that goods
will be shipped within two months after the agreement was duly
executed, and the necessary shipping documents sent to me but this is
the 13 month.

Mr. William Abare.
81B, Taman Bunga Raya,
Jalan Besar,71700 Mantin,
Malaysia.

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TitlePLUS Tips is an e-newsletter distributed to the legal support community to keep its members up-to-date on real estate-related topics, including tips on using the TitlePLUS program. It is also one of the few publications specifically designed to deliver risk-sensitive content to law clerks to assist in real estate practice, and for that reason LAWPRO invites law clerks to sign up to receive their own electronic copies.

The most recent July 2011 edition included articles on TitlePLUS expanded coverage for mortgage lenders, a look at issues attached to dealing with cottage properties and data entry requirements for Property Identification Numbers.

To register law clerks need to complete the Communications Sign-Up Form and fax it back to TitlePLUS.

TitlePLUS has just launched a revamped website at www.titleplus.ca that includes new features and intuitive drop-down menus.

There are also some great resources for real estate lawyers and their staff that will help reduce claims exposure, including sample retainer and reporting letters – two important risk management tools. The documents you can use and adapt are:

• Sample retainer letter
• Sample report to purchaser
• Sample report to lender
• Work Order Warranty
• Waiver of Title Insurance

There is also a link to the Working With a Lawyer When Buying a Home brochure that lawyers can use to explain the legal aspects of buying a home and the role of the lawyer in the real estate transaction. It provides a very useful comparison chart of the different methods for assuring title, such as a solicitor’s opinion on title, title insurance, or TitlePLUS title insurance. The new site also provides a clear explanation of the legal services coverage provided by the TitlePLUS program — a resource lawyers can use to explain the benefits of TitlePLUS coverage.

Two lawyers, one in Ontario and one in Nevada, have notified us that they have been contacted by the purported Jacklyn Kaidence with regards to a collaborative family law agreement collection. This is a fraud we have seen before under several other names and similar scenarios. For details on how this fraud works and a full list of names attached to it see our Confirmed Fraud page.

Here is an example of the email messages and supporting documents provided by the fraudsters:

From: Mrs. Jaclyn Kaidence [mailto:kaje3446@gmail.com]
Sent: September 22, 2011 7:58 AM
To: lawyer name
Subject: I Require a Counsel

Mrs.Jaclyn Kaidence.

After an initial reply by the lawyer, this response was received:

Thanks for the reply.I am presently out of the country to Japan for some pressing issues . I want you to know that, my ex-husband and I had a collaborative agreement, an out of court agreement after our final Divorce Decree, to pay me a one time cash settlement of $950,500.00 usd to his credit, he has paid me $251,500 usd but still owing $699,000.00 usd. Attach herewith is a copy of the Collaborative law agreement in jpg format and a copy of my international passport for your review. I tried calling a couple of times and with the time difference(+13hrs EST) it is a little bit difficult to gauge the best time to reach you. Currently am living in South Korea for an assignment.

Yours Truly,
Mrs.Jaclyn Kaidence.

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Two Ontario lawyers have notified us that they have been contacted by the purported Sherry Martinez with regards to a collaborative family law agreement collection. This is a fraud we have seen before under several other names and similar scenarios. For details on how this fraud works and a full list of names attached to it see our Confirmed Fraud page.

Here is an example of the email:

From: Sherry R.Martinez. [mailto:web.office.0.8.0.8@sbcglobal.net]
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 2:45 PM
To: lawyer
Subject: Legal help

Sincerely,
Sherry R.Martinez.

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Lawyers in Ontario and Michigan have notified us that they have been contacted by the purported Diana Hamasaki with regards to a divorce settlement. This is a fraud we have seen before under several other names and similar scenarios. For details on how this fraud works and a full list of names attached to it see our Confirmed Fraud page.

Here is an example of the email and supporting documents sent by the fraudsters:

From: diana@nswc.ca [mailto:diana@nswc.ca]
Sent: September 23, 2011 7:26 AM
Subject: Dear Counsel (Divorce Settlement Agreement)

Dear Counsel
My name is Diana Hamasaki. I am contacting your firm in regards to a divorce settlement with my ex husband Craig Hamasaki who resides in your jurisdiction
I am currently on assignment in South Korea. We had an out of court agreement for him to pay $623,000,00 plus legal fees. He has only paid me $122,000.00 since.
I am hereby seeking your firm`s assistance in collecting the balance from him or litigate this matter if he fails to pay as promised because He has delayed for too long. If you are in the position to represent me at the moment kindly advice immediately.
Yours Truly,
Diana Hamasaki.

Hamasaki Final Decree of Divorce
Hamasaki ENTITLEMENT SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT

A lawyer in Illinois received a fake cheque from a Canadian bank.

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Over twenty lawyers in Canada and the U.S. have notified us that they have been contacted by the purported Akemi Kobayashi (or Julie Kobayashi or Kameko Kobayashi) with regards to a collaborative family law agreement scam. This is a fraud we have seen before under several other names and similar scenarios. For details on how this fraud works and a full list of names attached to it see our Confirmed Fraud page.

Here are two examples of the initial, longer Akemi email. Here is the long version:

From: Akemi Kobayashi abarancieza@unicaarquitectura.com
Sent: Friday, May 07, 2010 11:09 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients; @dns42.bserv.com
Subject: Attention Counsel

CHOKO BOVEKI LTD
Address:4 FLOOR, 2-12-23 MINAMI AZABU MINATO-KU,TOKYO JAPAN
Tel: 81-3458-01740

Here is the short Julie version

Subject: Attn: Counsel, I am interested in your professional service!
Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2011 09:07:55 +0800 (CST)
From: Julie Kobayashi
To: lawyer

Attn:
I am interested in your professional service.
Please let me know if your services are available and how soon we can commence.
Regards.
J. Kobayashi

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Nearly 50 lawyers in Canada and the U.S. have told us about a fraud attempt by the purported John Fischer. The wording is similar to other frauds of this kind we have seen. For a full description of how this fraud works and to see other names attached to it, see our Confirmed Fraud page that deals with business load frauds.

Here is the initial contact email (note in some cases the email address actually seems to belong to a George Graham, another name we’ve seen attached to frauds):

De: John Fischer
Fecha: Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:09:41 +0000
Para:
Asunto: YOUR LEGAL ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED.

John Fischer

When one lawyer replied, he received this response:

Hello,

John Fischer
334 Dundas St E,
Belleville, ON, K8N1E9

John Fischer Promissary Note

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Realtors in Wisconsin and California advised us that they have been contacted by the purported Hosni Yuki with regards to a real estate purchase. As with scams under the names Shiukmoda Joji and Jyoung Chung Tu, it appears that this fraud is a set-up for a request to return real estate deal deposit monies paid with a bad cheque. Ontario lawyers should be on the lookout as well. For a full description of how this fraud works and a list of names associated with it, see our Confirmed Fraud page.

Here is a copy of the initial contact email:

Date: 2011-08-25 13:21:05
From: hosniyuki@hotmail.com
To: Lawyer name
Subject: Hello

Mr,Hosni Yuki.

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