Date First Reported: February 2013

Primary Name Associated: Nana Miyashita

Description of Potential Fraud:

fraud-warning

Four lawyers in the U.S. and one in Ontario reported to us that he’s been contacted by the purported Harumasa (or Nana) Miyashita of Miyaobi Publishing Co with regards to retaining their services to collect on a breach of an IP agreement. For details of how this scam works and to see other names associated with it, see our Confirmed Fraud page.

Here is the initial email.

Subject: Legal Matter
From: Harumasa Miyashita
Date: Mon, February 04, 2013 10:09 pm
To:


We are media publisher company here in Japan and we have Intellectual Property agreement matter in your jurisdiction.
Please advise us on your standard retainer fee so that we can forward you the agreement for your review and run a conflict check.

Yours Sincerely

Mr. Harumasa Miyashita
Miyaobi Publishing Co., Ltd.
739-1, Makura-chou,
Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto
Zip: 602-8488
TEL: 075-441-7747
Email:[email protected]
http://www.miyaobi.com

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.