by FraudInfo

Date First Reported: December 2012

Primary Name Associated: Michael Lee

Description of Potential Fraud:

fraud-warning

Two Ontario lawyers have notified us that they have received an email from the purported Michael Lee of Hitachi-Nippon Ferrule Inc with regards to a commercial debt litigation scam. For examples of other names attached to this kind of fraud see our Confirmed Fraud Page. For an explanation of how this fraud works see our Fraud Fact Sheet.

Here is the initial email:

From: Micheal Lee
Date: Sun, Dec 16, 2012 at 5:57 PM
Subject: REPS NEEDED
To: “[email protected]”

Dear Mohammed,

The management of Hitachi Oil & Construction requires your legal representation for our European andNorth /South American delinquent customers.

We realise that a reputable attorney is required to represent us in our bid to secure payments on overdue accounts. In order to achieve this objective, we understand that a proper Attorney/Client Agreement must be entered into by both parties. This will be done immediately we receive your letter of acceptance. We will rely on you to advice us on the requirements for a proper letter of engagement to be reviewed by our Board of Directors. It is our intention to commence legal proceedings against these delinquent customers as soon as practicable.

Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.

Sincerely,

Micheal Lee
Assistant Head of Accounts
Hitachi- Nippon Ferrule inc.
13F Marunouchi Center Building 6-1,
Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 100-8220 Japan
+81345788333

How to handle a real or suspected fraud

If you have been targeted by any of these frauds, please forward any of the emails and supporting documents that you have received to [email protected].

If you suspect you are acting on a matter that might be a fraud, call LAWPRO at 1-800-410-1013 (416-598-5899). We will talk you through the common fraud scenarios we are seeing and help you spot red flags that may indicate you are being duped. This will help you ask appropriate questions of your client to determine if the matter is legitimate or not. If the matter you are acting on turns out to be a fraud and there is a potential claim, we will work with you to prevent the fraud and minimize potential claims costs.

If you have been successfully duped, please immediately notify LAWPRO as there may be a claim against you.

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Fraud Fact Sheet More fraud prevention information and resources are available on the practicePRO Fraud page, including the Fraud Fact Sheet, a handy reference for lawyers and law firm staff that describes the common frauds and the red flags that can help identify them.