by FraudInfo

Date First Reported: August 2015

Primary Name Associated: Ryo Suetomi

Description of Potential Fraud:

fraud-warning

Three firms in Ontario and the U.S. have notified us that they received an email from the purported Ryo Suetomi of Eikoh Trading Inc 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 initial contact email sent to the lawyer:

From: Ryo Suetomi [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Sunday, April 19, 2015 3:12 PM
To:
Subject: RE:

We need your legal assistance in a purchase transaction and agreements. A referral will be welcome. Please advise

Replying to the email brought this response:

Thank you very much for your response. I’d like a telephone conversation but here is the follow up email in regards to my request.

Do find attached to this email the Dredger information and the Term Sheet between us for your review. I want to know your hourly rate for preparing a purchase agreement, I have attached some necessary details of my Dredger for your review please advise me on your rate, initial retainer fee and forward me your retainer agreement. If you have any question, Do give our office a call.

Sincerely,
Ryo Suetomi
Eikoh Trading Inc
EAST 21, Shinmachi 5-12,
Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama 221-0043,Japan
TEL: 81 3-4589-5812
FAX: +8145-453-1488

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.

For more immediate updates on fraud and claims prevention, subscribe to the email or RSS feed updates from LAWPRO’s AvoidAClaim blog.

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.