by FraudInfo

Date First Reported: September 2016

Primary Name Associated: Andris Georgijs

Description of Potential Fraud:

fraud-warning

Two Ontario firms have notified us that they received an email from the purported Andris Georgijs of Hotronic Tools & Chips Company looking to retain them with regards to a commercial debt collection.

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 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 email received by the lawyers after the initial contact:

From: Andris Georgijs [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: 28 September 2016 06:01
To:
Subject: Further Details.

Thank you for your quick response to our email. See further details with regards to our inquiry for your better understanding of the matter. We ordered for some goods from “JB Global Ltd” in August, 2015 and the terms of the sales contract demands us to pay 50% of the total cost of the ordered goods before delivery and the balance after we have received the same goods. However, after we paid the initial deposit, we did not receive any goods as required. The goods ought to be delivered on the 28th of October, 2015. More time was given to them to deliver the goods which they were still unable to meet with. Hence, we requested for a refund.

We have made several efforts to have them refund the initial deposit, but to no avail. We have therefore decided to resort to legal means since there is a legal document (sales agreement) prior to this transaction. Find below details of the supplier for your conflict check.

“JB Global Ltd”
DC2
Viscount Way
South Marston Industrial Estate
Swindon
SN3 4TN

We have suffered so much loss as a result of this failed transaction and we are ready to proceed with litigation if the need should arise. Let us know the best way to approach this issue and we will comply as long as we get results. Furthermore, we have some concerns and would like you to respond in detail in your reply.

Are they any foibles you see in this case?
If litigation is involved, the distance gives us some concern with regards to court appearances. How can this be handled?
How much is your legal fee? Do you charge on hourly basis or contingency?
What should we expect from you? Any guarantees?

Please advise on your assessment of this case. A quick response will be appreciated.

Best Regards,

Andris Georgijs.
Operations Manager
Hotronic Tools & Chips Company,
Shop 1, G/F Tak Lee Court 10 Ko Shan
Road To Kwa Wan, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: 0085-25-8087510.
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
web: hotronics-tool.com

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]. We use this information for the warnings we post on AvoidAClaim. We do not disclose the names of firms that have provided us with information.

Ontario Lawyers - Call LAWPRO

If you are an Ontario lawyer acting on a matter that you suspect might be a fraud, call LAWPRO at 1-800-410-1013 (416-598-5899). One of our Fraud Team members 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, we will work with you to prevent the fraud and minimize potential claims costs.

What can you do to help put a stop to the fraud attempt?

You can simply stop replying to the fraudster’s emails or inform them that you suspect fraud and will not act on the matter. You can report the fraudsters’ email addresses to the email hosting company. If you have a fraudulent cheque you can destroy it or send it to the fraud department of the financial institution it is drawn upon. In Canada, you can report the fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

We are often asked if it is worthwhile to report the fraud attempt to the police in the hopes of helping catch the fraudsters. You can certainly report the fraud to your local or federal law enforcement agencies, but unfortunately it is often difficult, expensive and time consuming for them to attempt to shut down these online fraud perpetrators (though there are some successes).

What if the fraud has been successful?

If you have been successfully duped, please immediately notify LAWPRO as there may be a claim against you. See the LAWPRO website for instructions on how to report a claim.

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. To proactively prevent trust account shortfalls and malpractice claims, LAWPRO encourages firms to teach their lawyers and staff about fraud and how to recognize fraud attempts.