Divorce Settlement and Collaborative Family Law Agreement Fraud
The initial contact emails state that a spousal support payment is owed further to a collaborative law agreement signed by husband and wife (some do not reference a collaborative law agreement, but instead simply refer to general support payments owing). It is claimed that the ex-spouse is in the lawyer’s jurisdiction, while the email sender is always in the far away (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, etc).
The fraudster will provide identification, a copy of the support agreement and will complete a retain agreement. However, they will delay on paying any retainer fee and insist that the lawyer deduct the fee from the ex-spouse’s payment. That payment will arrive in short order, and in some cases even before the lawyer has agreed to act or sent a demand letter. The fraudster will ask the lawyer to deposit the cheque into the trust account, and then wire the payment (minus lawyer’s fees) to an overseas account. Of course, the cheque is counterfeit and the lawyer will then find a shortfall in the account.
Here is a list of names associated with this fraud. The date in brackets is the most recent notification we’ve received that the fraud is still active.
Adone, Vanessa [April 2012]
Akaba, Eiko [July 2011]
Akin, Harmony Lin [March 2013]
Anderson, Melissa Cho [September 2011]
Andreasson, Christina [July 2011]
Atsushi, Haila [January 2012]
Bell, Anita [March 2011]
Benavides, Adrian [July 2012]
Bloomberg, Seina [May 2013]
Brewer, Tammy [February 2012]
Brogen, Heather [Oct 2012]
Chan, Linda [May 2013]
Chang, Lisa [May 2013]
Chang, Pascha [Nov 2012]
Cheung, Kathy [January 2011]
Chipman, Donna Lynn [September 2011]
Chiyo, Aya [January 2012]
Chung, Kathrine [Sept 2012]
Chung, Wang [January 2012]
Eley, Michelle [January 2012]
Goldbery, Alice [Jan 2013]
Goodwill, Claudia [December 2011]
Hamasaki, Diana [January 2012]
Han, Elizabeth [May 2012]
Heochi, Susan [April 2012]
Higashi, Peggy [October 2011]
Hoffmann, Tammy [January 2012]
Hokkien, Crystal [May 2013]
Hoshiko, Zaira [March 2013]
Jenkins, Nancy [July 2011]
Kaidence, Jacklyn [September 2011]
Kannon, Yoshiko [July 2011]
Kawashima, Beverly [December 2011]
Kazuhiro, Juliet [December 2012]
Kazuo, Henriet [September 2011]
Kazuo, Miyoko [May 2013]
Kobayashi, Akemi [September 2011]
Kobayashi, Julie [October 2011]
Kinoshita, Elena [Sept 2012]
Kiyoshi, Stephany [July 2012]
Kyung, Bella [Jan 2013]
Kwema, Miyoko [April 2012]
Lee, Gloria [March 2011]
Lee, Linda [May 2012]
Mackenzie, Beverly [Sept 2012]
Martinez, Sherry [June 2012]
Masaru, Crystal [March 2012]
Minoru, Isabella [Nov 2012]
Mitsuo, Reiko [April 2012]
Mizuki, Umeko [October 2011]
Montgomery, Marilyn [February 2012]
Muneoka, Kara [September 2011]
Natsuko, Sandra [August 2011]
Nakamura, Elizabeth [December 2011]
Nicholas, Dennis Luo [March 2012]
Nikkori, Sapphire [March 2013]
Oshiro, Mima/Maki [May 2012]
Roddick, Sharon [November 2011]
Schwartz, Tammy [May 2012]
Seung, Michelle [March 2013]
Shunshi, Brianna [January 2012]
Smith, Tammy [December 2011]
Takahashi, Rika [March 2011]
Takahashi, Rita [March 2011]
Taisu, Cynthia [Jan 2013]
Teng-hui, Mary-Lee [May 2012]
Tiachi, Hillary [Dec 2012]
Trump, Sharon [May 2013]
Waltson, Rina [May 2103]
Wilson, Jane [April 2012]
Wang, Betty [March 2013]
Woichun, Cynthia [April 2013]
Wong, Jennifer [January 2012]
Wilford, Natsuki [October 2011]
Yamazaki, Susan [September 2011]
Yashushi, Valerie [Jan 2013]
Yato, Trina [June 2012]
Young, Harmony [April 2013]
Yong, Kim [August 2011]
Yoshikazu, Zulian [Oct 2012]
Yuji, Kanako [July 2011]
Zaira, Valerie [March 2013]
Zimmerman, Patricia [April 2012]
Zuckerberg, Kumura (or Zarifah) [May 2013]
