by Tim Lemieux

An Ontario lawyer has reported to us that fraudsters have impersonated his firm in order to make threatening collection phone calls to members of the public on behalf of a loan company. The name of the fake firm closely resembles the real firm name, and the callers make reference to the town the real firm is located in.

The phone number being used is 866-826-0002 ext 231, and in looking up that number on Google we found another lawyer’s name being used in the same scam. There could be others. As the frauds target the public, lawyers may not even be aware their names are being used this way unless someone goes to the trouble to inform them.

Anyone wanting to verify whether a lawyer or firm is legitimate can use the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Lawyer and Paralegal Directory. In this case the lawyer name was real, but the directory would show that the firm name used didn’t exist and the address and phone number weren’t correct. If there is still doubt after searching the directory, the public can call the Law Society’s Resource Centre at 416-947-3315.

Categories: Fraud Prevention