by FraudInfo

Date First Reported: July 2014

Primary Name Associated: Shiko Hanamura

Description of Potential Fraud:

fraud-warning

An Ontario realtor told us they’ve been contacted by the purported Shiko Hanamura with regards to what looks like a real estate bad cheque scam. For details of how this scam works see our Confirmed Fraud page. Our Fraud Fact Sheet lists the red flags of a bogus legal matter that is really a fraud.

Here is the email to the realtor:

From : Shiko
Email : [email protected]
Message : Hello, I am Mr. Shiko Hanamura, a Japanese origin. I need a single family home, 4 bedroom with bath, a garage, with or without swimming pool. Price range, $450,000 to $700,000 in any quiet area of Melrose, ON. Please send me your listings to see if I could get a nice home to buy from you. Thanks.

Requests from Shiko:
I am interested in buying a property.

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.