by FraudInfo

Date First Reported: December 2013

Primary Name Associated: Graham Welch

Description of Potential Fraud:

fraud-warning

Firms in California and Virginia notified us that they received an email from the purported Graham Welch of Anglian Dental looking to retain them with regards assisting on corporate matters, but in reality is likely a lead-up to a commercial debt collection scam or similar kind of scam.

This is a classic bad cheque scam that presents as legal matter requiring the assistance of a lawyer. In this scam lawyers will be duped into wiring real funds from their trust accounts after depositing a fake cheque received as payment from the debtor (who is part of the fraud). See our Confirmed Fraud Page for more of an explanation of how these frauds work and to see other names associated with it. Our Fraud Fact Sheet lists the red flags of a bogus legal matter that is really a fraud.

Here is the initial contact email sent by the fraudster to the lawyer, subsequent reply and fake documentation:

Name: graham welch
Email address: [email protected]
Phone: 9083016442
Message: Do you handle Business Litigation? If you do let me know. Best Regards, Graham Welch.

Replying to the email brought this response:

Thank you for giving us a chance to discuss our issues. We have come to understand that our supplier will not take us serious, which is why we have chosen to fight this matter legally.

First, we contacted Benco Dental Supply Company, and gave them a list of goods we wanted, they responded swiftly letting us know they had what we wanted and gave us their price. we agreed to deal with them and signed a contract. The terms of the contract required we pay a 50% down payment before they deliver the goods to us which we did.

You won’t believe this, till date we have not seen what we paid for neither have they paid back the 50% down payment we made. We tried to resolve this issue without getting any external party involved. Yet they have refused to see things our way and do business like civilized people. Find below details of supplier for your conflict check.

Benco Dental Supply Company
3590 Harbor Gateway N.
Costa Mesa, California 92626

We are sick and tired of writing emails that are taken for granted and take the bull by the horn and match them toe to toe. We are running a business here and do countless transactions all over the world which involves funds, we have to pay our staff, maintain the stability of our company and also meet up with demands of other clients. How are we supposed to do that with setbacks like this. We have to make profit to keep our business running. This is really heart breaking. What we require from you is this:

A: Review the documents attached to this email and let us know our weaknesses and how much chance we stand against Benco Dental.?

B: Let us know your experiences with cases like this and how long you think this case will take to be resolved.?

C: When it comes to court hearing , will i need to appear in person.? Have you handled cases like this in the past and how many years have practiced?

D: We are ready to fight to get this money back even if it means involving litigation. So please let us know your fees and terms of your representation.

E: I know this is difficult but can you by any chance predict the outcome of this case? What would be your strategy?

Assuming after perusal you would like to take our case, Have your fee agreement sent to my attention so we could go through your terms and condition. if you decide not to take this case let us know if you have referral .

We appreciate your time and effort and will be expecting a response from you soonest.

Sincerely,

Graham Welch
Managing Director
Anglian Dental
Park Farm Lane Nuthampstead Herts SG8 8LZ
FREE PHONE: +44 704 570 9887

Welch Completed Wire TO BENCO

Welch CONTRACT FOR THE SALES OF GOODS

Welch CREDIT FRM BENCO 2 OUR CREDITOR

Welch EMAILS

Welch NEW EMAIL

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.