Business debt collection scam by Martin Victor
Description of Potential Fraud:
Several lawyers in Ontario and the U.S. have notified us that they’ve received an email from the purported Martin Victor looking to retain them with regards to collecting on a business debt. This is similar in wording to other frauds of this kind we have seen. For a full description of how this fraud works and to see other names attached to it, see our Confirmed Fraud page that deals with business load frauds.
Here is an example of the email:
From: Martin Victor
To: undisclosed-recipients:;,
Date: 08/02/2012 12:27 PM
Subject: I need your assistance
I am Martin Victor of South London Steel (UK), I need your legal assistance to collect a debt owed my company by a USA based organization. Where collection efforts fail, we resort to litigation.
Thanks.
One lawyer received the following cheque and cover letter:
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.
March 01, 2012 at 8:22 pm, brucehasbrouck said:
It is amazing, Hillary and Valerie have identical passports, only the name is different they did manage to use different photos but everything else is identical, including the passport number birth dates etc. This is an obvious scam, they are actually using the same form letter. they even sent me a phony “cashiers” check by fed ex for a huge amount of money and a plea to rush as a son is sick and needs an operation.