by FraudInfo

Date First Reported: September 2015

Primary Name Associated: Jeffrey Morgan

Description of Potential Fraud:

fraud-warning

An Ontario firm notified us that they received an email from the purported Jeffrey Morgan of SBM Offshore Drilling looking to retain them with regards to making a large commercial purchase.

This appears to be a 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 purchaser (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 email sent to the lawyer :

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: August 18, 2015 2:34 AM
To:
Subject: Re: Inquiry

Dear Dean,
I want to inquire if your firm handles Purchase transactions and agreements. If you specialize in this field, kindly send me your contact number and time of availability so we can discuss further.
Regards,
Jeffrey Morgan

Replying to the email brought this response:

I am in the process of negotiating a sale of my drilling rig to a company in your province and both parties have agreed for the seller (me) to provide a lawyer who can draft a purchase agreement in regulation with the province laws of the buyer, I will also need you to monitor the transaction.
Find below the buyer’s information for your conflict check. What will be your hourly rate for preparing such documents? I attached some information of the rig for your review. I would appreciate if you schedule a telephone conference for Monday so we can discuss further about this. If you will not be available,send your retainer agreement for review. We can schedule to discuss at a further date. I await your response.
PROPOSED BUYER:
Kenartha Oil & Gas Company
Robert Chase 44 Victoria St.,
Suite 1701 Toronto,
Ontario. M5C 1Y2
Regards,
Jeffrey Morgan
972-292-7163
Address: 1901 Central Drive, Bedford, TX 76021

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.

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Fraud Fact SheetMore 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.