by FraudInfo

Date First Reported: March 2014

Primary Name Associated: Miura Hitoshi

Description of Potential Fraud:

fraud-warning

Fifteen lawyers in Ontario and the U.S. have notified us that they received an email from the purported Miura Hitoshi looking to retain them with regards to a collecting overdue payments resulting from a separation 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 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 email sent by the fraudster to the lawyer and subsequent reply:

From: [email protected]
Reply-to: [email protected]
Sent: 3/6/2014 5:28:30 A.M. Pacific Standard Time
Subj: Requirement for your legal assistance with my Child Support agreement

Good day,

I urgently seek your legal assistance with my divorce separation/property agreement, I would appreciate your prompt reply if your services can be provided.

Ms. Miura Hitoshi

Replying to the email brought this response:

After much agitation, I concluded to seek your counsel to help retrieve balance of child support and medical support funds either by filling a contempt motion or otherwise with regards to compelling Jimmy to remit balance of court settlements of child support/medical support funds owed to me. We Had a Property Settlement Agreement settlement of Family Support and Property Division in the amount of $1,530.050.00, he has paid me $580,430.00 but still owing $949,620,00 and the stipulated time for completion of payment has long elapsed. Jimmy Hitoshi has got the financial means to pay the balance set forth in our settlement agreement attached but consistently failed in every effort I employed into making sure he remits the balance. Practically I will not be able to come for an in-person consultation reason been my absence, Jimmy still lives in Woodland Hills,this was why I had to contact you. Myself and the kids lives in Tokyo. After previewing the documents as attached

Please get back to me.

Muira.
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.

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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.