by FraudInfo

Date First Reported: October 2014

Primary Name Associated: Nai Chi Kimchi

Description of Potential Fraud:

fraud-warning

A California firm notified us that they received an email from the purported Nai Chi Kimchi 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 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 other names associated with it , and our Fraud Fact Sheet for a list the red flags of a bogus legal matter that is really a fraud.

Here is the initial LinkedIn contact email sent by the fraudster to the lawyer:

Sent from LinkedIn for iPhone
http://lnkd.in/ios

On 10/09/14 02:50PM, Nai Chi Kimchi wrote:
——————–
I want to inquire if your firm handles Business Litigation/ breach of contract cases. A referral will be welcomed if this is not your area of practice.

Regards

Nai Chi Kimchi

Replying to the message brought this emailed reply:

Thank you for your prompt response to my inquiry. I live in Japan, while My friend John Humphrey lives in California. As a result of time difference it is difficult to reach you. He is a citizen of the United State. I loan him $500,000.00. We both agreed under a period of time to pay back the money i loan him, he has paid me $150,000.00 but still owing $350,000.00 and the stipulated time for completion of payment has long elapsed. This is the reason why I contacted you. I know for sure my friend has the financial means to pay the balance he owes me.

Thus, I request your legal services to enforce him or a court order compelling him to remit balance he owed me.

AMOUNT OWED : $450,000 PLUS INTEREST

I expect this to be resolved in a timely manner. Sequel to this, if you are happy to proceed, kindly send me a copy of your retainer and if the terms are acceptable I will sign so we can commence the process without delay.

Thank you for your anticipated cooperation and professionalism.

Nai Chi Kimchi
1-8-5 Sumiyoshi-Minamimachi. Higashinada-ku, Kobe, 6580041 JAPAN
Phone : 0-78-822-2144 / Fax : 0-78-822-2144

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. Instructions on how to report a claim are here.

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.