by FraudInfo

Date First Reported: July 2012

Primary Name Associated: Gilbert Gill

Description of Potential Fraud:

fraud-warning

Three Ontario lawyers have notified us that they’ve been contacted by the purported Gilbert Gill with regards to ligation on a termination matter. This is the first time we’ve seen a scam set up this way, but no doubt its aim is the same as other frauds: to have a lawyer accept a bad cheque (in this case from the settlement of the litigation matter) and disburse good money from his or her trust account.

Here is the email:

From: Gilbert Gill
Date: Mon, Jul 23, 2012 at 1:32 AM
Subject: legal matter

Hi Counsel,
Please advice if you or your firm is in a position to demand or litigate a termination matter.Please get back to me so I can send you more detail and related documents.

Sincerely,
Gilbert Gill
16, Carnaby Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S6 2NH
[email protected]
Fax: +44 (0)704 306 1011

A lawyer who responded got this reply and fake termination letter:

Thanks for your mail,attached a copy of the employment contract and termination letter for your review.I had a valid contract with Mr.Mason which state in paragraph 4. TERM AND TERMINATION. Consultant shall serve as a consultant to the Company for a period commencing on June 14th,2011 and terminating on June 14th,2015. In the event of termination, Consultant shall be paid for any portion of the Services that have been performed prior to the termination and the remainder of the contract. I gave my full dedication to the company,I don’t see why I have to wait indefinitely to get my compensation check.The agreement was for $98,000.00 a year. How much do you charge for a case like this?
Please send me your engagement letter or retainer forms for my perusal.
Below is the name of my former employer for conflicts check:

Owen Mason
115 Carnarvon St,
Toronto, ON
M6M 3C9, Canada

Sincerely,
Gill Gilbert
GG CONSULTANCY
16, Carnaby Road, Sheffield,
South Yorkshire S6 2NH
[email protected]
Fax: +44 (0)704 306 1011

Gill ConceptTerminationLetter

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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