by FraudInfo

Date First Reported: March 2013

Primary Name Associated: Thu Luong

Description of Potential Fraud:

fraud-warning

A lawyer in Nevada and one in Florida have notified us that they have received an email from the purported Thu Luong of S&P Manufacturing with regards to a commercial debt litigation scam. The scam is similar to others you can view on our Confirmed Fraud Page. For an explanation of how this fraud works see our Fraud Fact Sheet.

What is new in this case is that there appears to be a “referral” from a lawyer who is away and unable to act on the matter. This is likely an attempt to lend some extra legitimacy to the scam.

Here is the initial email:

From: “DANIELE FACCHINI ESQ.”
To:
Subject:
Date: Mon, Mar 11, 2013 10:26 AM

Legal Representation:
My friend is in need of legal representation on a litigation matter in your area.I am currently out of the country on a business trip and will not be returning anytime soon.As i am not in active service,i wish to refer him to your office.Please,do let me know if your office is currently accepting new clients,so i can forward his contact information.
Thank you very much.

Daniele Facchini, Esq.
624 De Sales St.
San Gabriel, CA 91775.

After responding, the lawyer received this email:

From: Thu Luong [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, March 11, 2013 8:49 PM
To:
Subject: Referral

We have been referred to your office by Attorney Daniele Facchini, Esq. This is in regards to a claim that we intend to pursue in your State.
We are requesting for your legal assistance in a debt recovery and a possible litigation matter.This debt is as a result of an outstanding payment for goods supplied to AZTECH INDUSTRIAL BEARING & SUPPLY. 1406 S Main Street, Las Vegas, NV 89104, valued at $598,750.00.(Five Hundred and Ninety Eight Thousand,Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars). The said outstanding payment was for goods delivered in good condition.An initial deposit of $200,000 was paid and the due date for the balance payment was set for the 20th of February, 2013 as stipulated in our supplier’s invoice.
Please,do carry out a conflict check on my debtor and also let me know about your fee rates.
We prefer to reach an informal resolution and still maintain a good relationship with our client and it is in our position to maintain this relationship after collection of the outstanding sum owed to us.Do not hesitate to call me if you have any questions.
I look forward to your prompt response.
Sincerely,
Thu Luong
President
S & P Manufacturing
3829 Timberline Drive
San Jose, CA 95121
Direct Tel: 408-508-7849
Fax: 408-887-7959

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.

For more immediate updates on fraud and claims prevention, subscribe to the email or RSS feed updates from LAWPRO’s AvoidAClaim blog.

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.