Date First Reported: February 2012

Primary Name Associated: Wylie Lachlan

Description of Potential Fraud:

fraud-warning

Lawyers in Ontario and the U.S. have notified us that they’ve received emails from the purported Wylie Lachlan looking to retain them with regards to collecting a debt. This is similar 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: Wylie Lachlan [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2012 12:31 PM
Subject: Business

Sir.

I am inquiring about the availability of your firm in the litigation of a default contract agreement. Please let me know if this is an issue your firm can handle.

Regards
Wylie Lachlan

One lawyer who replied got the following response and fake documentation:

Thank you for your response and taking time to look into our case.let me start by introducing the company which i work for, am the director for Mazco medical Healthcare Ltd.We are a UK company supplying quality Medical equipment, medical supplies products & Surgical Equipment. Below is the address of the borrower:

Paul G. Gabos
Lincare Holdings Inc.
100 TERMINAL DR
SUITE 104
PLAINVIEW, NY 11803-2321

The Borrower is a company we have know for 3 years and we have done business with in the past, without any issues.They have only paid $438,000.00 out of a total $850,000.00 the balance is still outstanding till this day. We are in constant contact with Mr Paul G. Gabos who is our contact person and Chief Financial Officer of Lincare Holdings Inc. in United State, even though he has promised that they would pay the balance, I think the threat or possibility of litigation would serve as a catalyst to make them pay sooner rather than later.

We are prepared to pay a reasonable retainer or collection costs for this service as soon as I get an engagement letter from your firm. I expect this to be a non-litigation collection from the borrower but we are prepared to litigate this matter if Lincare Holdings Inc. is not ready to pay the balance owed on the loan agreement. Please send me your engagement letter for my boards review to enable us proceed with this issue against Lincare Holdings Inc.

We want to also let you know that this loan that we gave to Lincare Holdings Inc. has caused considerable strain on our company’s operational capital.Below are a few question we would like to know before we retain your firm.

• What kind of background or experience do you have in this specific area?
• How many matters have you handled in the past years?
• We would like know your means/advice of alternative dispute solution on the case?
• We would like to know your fee structure in details first, as we don’t want any problems
relating to payments.

I can be reached at +44-704-570-1628 during working hours UTC(Edinburgh),would be waiting to hear from you.

Best Regards

Wylie Lachlan
Director

Mazco medical Healthcare Ltd
OFFICE PHONE: +44-7005-800-116
FAX: +44-7005-800-127
DIRECT: +44-704-570-1628
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.mazco.co.uk

Lachlan LincarePaymentSlip
Lachlan LincarePromisoryNote

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.