Month: January 2014
Prison sentence for fraudster who targeted lawyers in bad cheque scams
We were recently made aware of a September 2013 news release from the FBI, stating that a lawyer-targetting fraudster had pleaded guilty and received hefty fines and a prison sentence. Nice to see a victory in the struggle against online scams. The number of law enforcement agencies involved shows how international these scams are, and… Read More »
Categories: Fraud PreventionBeware the “too quiet” file (and Rule 48)
If you are lucky enough to have a busy practice, you may welcome the brief respite you get when a legal matter goes temporarily dormant. There are three rules for taking advantage of these lulls, however: first, any such periods must in fact be brief and temporary; second, you must understand the reason for the… Read More »
Categories: Civil LitigationReal estate bad cheque scam using the names Kenneth Hang and John Adams
Two firms, one in Illinois and one in Florida, appear to have been targeted by a real estate deposit bad cheque scam by the purported Kenneth Hang. Hang claims to be working on an offshore oil rig in China. In this type of scam the fraudster pretends interest in a property (often contacting a realtor… Read More »
Categories: Fraud Warnings, Real Estate FraudCybercrime: Be Ready with an Incident Response Plan
Because a cybercrime attack can cause irreparable harm, law firms should be prepared to take action immediately. Being able to do this requires an Incident Response Plan (IRP). An effective IRP can put a firm in a position to effectively and efficiently manage a breach by protecting sensitive data, systems, and networks, and to quickly… Read More »
Categories: Legal TechnologyBusiness loan collection scam using the name Michael Calderone
Two U.S. lawyers have notified us that they received an email from the purported Michael Calderone looking to retain them with regards to a breach of a business loan agreement. 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… Read More »
Categories: Fraud Warnings, Business Loan FraudCommercial debt collection scam using the name Roland Peyton
Two Ontario lawyers have notified us that they received an email from the purported Roland Peyton looking to retain them with regards to a commercial debt collection. 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… Read More »
Categories: Fraud Warnings, Debt Collection FraudCommercial debt collection scam using the name Alan Watson
Two Ontario lawyers have notified us that they received an email from the purported Alan Watson looking to retain them with regards to a commercial debt collection. 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… Read More »
Categories: Fraud Warnings, Debt Collection FraudOntario lawyer targeted by phone, not email, on a business loan collection scam using the name Zeng Chen
An Ontario lawyer informed us that he was contacted by a Zeng Chen looking to retain him to collect on a loan. While it quickly became apparent that it was the usual bad-cheque fraud attempt, what is different in this case is that the fraudster called the lawyer, rather than initiate contact by email. He… Read More »
Categories: Fraud Warnings, Business Loan Fraud