Divorce settlement agreement scam by Harmony Young
Date First Reported: September 2012
Primary Name Associated: Harmony Young
Description of Potential Fraud:
Over a hundred lawyers in Canada and the U.S. have notified us that they’ve been contacted by the purported Harmony Young with regards to a to a collaborative family law agreement dispute. This is a fraud we have seen before under several other names and similar scenarios. For details on how this fraud works and a full list of names attached to it see our Confirmed Fraud page.
Updated Oct 2013: Toronto police are looking for additional information from anyone who has received this scam and come across the name “Joe Mathewson” in any of the responses from the fraudsters. Click here for more details
Here is the initial email:
From: ha[email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: September-10-12 10:29 AM
Subject: Contempt of Judgment
I wish to file a contempt petition against my ex-spouse for breaching the court’s decree with regards to payment of divorce settlement. Please advise if you handle such case.
Harmony Young
Email: [email protected]
A lawyer who replied received the following response and counterfeit documents:
Thank you for your prompt response to my inquiry. Am residing in South Korea for an assignment at present and my ex-spouse Shin Young lives in Oakbrook, Illinois. As a result of time difference it is a little bit difficult to reach you. We were divorced in South Korea but my ex-husband Shin Young relocated to the United States. He is a citizen. We both agreed under a Separation Agreement incorporated, merged into and made part of the court decree for a settlement of Child Support, Spousal Support, and Medical support of $941,100.00, he has paid me $270,500.00 but still owing $670,600.00 and the stipulated time for completion of payment has long elapsed. This is the reason why I contacted you as there is already an agreement in place. I know for sure my ex-husband has the financial means to pay for balance he owes me. Thus, I request your legal services to enforce the court order compelling him to remit balance owed me. Attached is a copy of the terms of separation agreement, and the Court’s Decree (i.e. Divorce Decree) and I will be pleased to provide further information on this case on request.
I expect this to be resolved in a timely manner. Sequel to this, If you are happy to proceed, kindly send me a copy of your retainer and if the terms are acceptable I will sign so we can commence the process without delay
Thank you for your anticipated cooperation and professionalism
Yours truly,
Harmony Young
Young Divorce Decree
Young Separation Agreement
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 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.
September 13, 2012 at 2:01 pm, Peter said:
I just got the same one, from Harmony. It looked good enough for me to write up a retainer agreement, and I even put a stamp on the envelope, before the good fairy whispered in my eat to check it out on the web. Thanks for your report.
P.
September 18, 2012 at 8:33 am, Bill said:
I’m a secretary for an attorney and saw this in our email inbox. I was immediately suspicious because of the “to: undisclosed recipients” line in the header. Thankfully, googling the email address turned up this article.
September 18, 2012 at 2:32 pm, Steve said:
I received the same one from Harmony. A quick google search brought up your article. Thanks!
September 19, 2012 at 6:06 am, Deidre said:
I got a similar mail:
De : ha[email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Envoyé : mardi 18 septembre 2012 15:56
Objet : Child Support
I wish to file a contempt petition against my ex-spouse for failure to make court ordered payments of Child Support, Spousal Support, Equitable distribution and Medical support. if you handle such case.
Harmony Young
Email: [email protected]
September 19, 2012 at 9:51 am, Savannah Murphy said:
Same email, same sneaking suspicion – found this site via Google, thank you!
September 19, 2012 at 11:02 am, Christina said:
Another attorney referred this client to our office. I’m a secretary and when I responded I got the exact same message. A quick google search brought me straight to your site. Thank you!
September 19, 2012 at 12:58 pm, mike said:
This is the most sophisticated scam that I have seen, though I am no expert. The Nigerians need to learn something from these people. Good writers, plausible story, nice looking documents. I smelled fraud right off, but everything was so nice, I was about to conclude it was on the up-and-up. Thanks for the info!
September 20, 2012 at 9:25 am, Kim said:
I just received this as well. My boss apparently did not think it odd, but I remember reading about it last year !!!
September 20, 2012 at 11:41 am, Dave said:
I just received the same email. Much more sophisticated than any of the several hundred others that I have received this year. Keep up the good work.
September 20, 2012 at 11:51 am, Edward said:
Received one also. Asked her for details to be able to notify your good website. The passport is suspicious–look at the clarity of her personal information as compared to the pre-printed information. It appears someone typed over a copy of someone else’s passport.
Keep up the good fraud-fighting work.
September 21, 2012 at 5:44 pm, Craig Broscow said:
Received one also. Good work — thank you for catching this.
September 24, 2012 at 9:08 am, Jason said:
Not even a lawyer. Paralegal student. Must have mined my email from my school.
September 24, 2012 at 11:52 am, Eric said:
I received a similar email, although it appears Harmony has changed it up a bit and also has her email at att.com
——————
From: [email protected]
To:
Subject: Contempt Case
Dear Counsel,
My name is Harmony Young. I am contacting your firm to help me domesticate/register and enforce a judgment compelling my ex spouse to pay Child Support, Spousal Support settlement amount owed to me under a separation agreement. Kindly advice.
Please reply to me via [email protected]
Your’s truly,
Harmony Young
September 24, 2012 at 12:16 pm, Leah said:
i just received an email from harmony young also, thanks to this website i will not be responding!
September 24, 2012 at 1:48 pm, Kim said:
I received this email today. Still going around.
September 25, 2012 at 4:48 am, Deola Lebron said:
I just received the same email. Fortunately, my son recognized that the website was from Australia, and the passport was photoshopped.
What is her next move in this particular scam?
September 25, 2012 at 1:08 pm, TimLemieux said:
Hi Deola,
The next move is to have the “ex husband” send a settlement check (which is fake). You’d be asked to cash it, keep your fees, and wire the balance to the fraudsters overseas. After a few days the bank will realize its a fake check, and you’ll be left with a huge shortfall in your account.
September 25, 2012 at 2:25 pm, LAHunt said:
I just received the same email yesterday and responded that I would need more information regarding her request. She sent the same documents to me and a request for a retainer agreement. The authenticity (or lack thereof) of the documents immediately raised my suspicions prompting me to Google the name which directed me to this website. Thank you for confirming my gut feeling!
October 01, 2012 at 1:11 pm, Peter Shafran said:
I got “Harmony’s” email today. She added a new reply email address:
[email protected] ✆
12:28 PM (42 minutes ago)
to undisclosed recipients
Counsel,
My name is Harmony Young. I am contacting your firm to help me enforce
court’s order compelling my ex husband to pay certain amount owed to me
under a separation agreement. Kindly advice.
please reply to [email protected]
Your’s truly,
Harmony Young
October 02, 2012 at 2:46 am, David Walk said:
I just heard from “Harmony” as well. I went through my initial response email, and then received a fast reply with all the pretty pictures and the scenario that just sounded off. Anyway, along with the other above mentioned email address she is also using [email protected].
October 02, 2012 at 2:12 pm, Kathleen Engelman, Esq. said:
I have been corresponding with “Harmony” for the last two days. Thankfully, I searched for her name and her supposed ex-husband, Dr. Shin Young and came across this site.
October 09, 2012 at 3:39 pm, Guno Ritfeld said:
What a persistent person,who does not know the difference between an ADR company and a law firm. We received the same email several times. I was about to ask if they needed to see a psychologist but I figure that would not work. Next time I might send them a brochure on mediation and a slide show on interpersonal conflict. I would hate to think that this scam has paid off for them thus far.
October 10, 2012 at 2:32 pm, Amy Velazquez said:
This scam is going around in Oregon presently. It has been reported to the Bar and the FBI Internet Crimes unit.
October 10, 2012 at 4:09 pm, Andrew said:
My boss got the same scam today, showed him your website and we’ve blocked him/her from contacting our firm again. Much thanks.
October 10, 2012 at 7:16 pm, Laura Pattillo said:
Thank you for your website! I almost responded to her email, but then smelled something fishy – could have been because this was the THIRD email I received from her in a week, and all of her email addresses had been different. I’m a contract paralegal – not an attorney. How is this scam paying off for Ms. Harmony? Any idea? Anyone?
October 11, 2012 at 9:56 am, TimLemieux said:
It pays off even a tiny percent of the lawyers contacted fall for the scam. Each of these fraudulent checks is usually worth $200K to $300K.
October 11, 2012 at 2:22 pm, LindaLee said:
Just an update, because something made me double-check this. The atached documents were too perfect. The scam now targets Houston, TX using a new email address: [email protected] .
October 17, 2012 at 3:09 pm, Dana said:
Just received yesterday, October 16, 2012, in Orlando, Florida at a fairly new business e-mail address for our law firm. Just another scam!!
October 18, 2012 at 2:25 pm, Horacio said:
I work in a law firm in Bolivia, South America, and I also recieved the request of Harmony Young to provide legal assistance regarding her child and spouse support. I also recieved e-mails from Shin Young (her alleged ex-husband), who wanted to send me a cashier’s check. Thanks to this website, I stoped the communication with these people.
The email adresses from which they contacted me are the following ones:
[email protected]
[email protected]
Thanks a lot!!!!
October 19, 2012 at 7:56 am, Mike said:
I was also contacted in Miami, Florida by Ms. Harmony Young. She claimed she was looking to collect on a foreign spousal support agreement and forwarded official looking documents. In addition, she asked for a retainer agreement and specified that her ex had notified her that he was willing to pay without court enforcement. She wanted to have the money flow through my firm’s trust account and have me remit payment to them. The collectable amount was over $600,000. Just wanted to put this up to help warn other attorneys to stay away from these transactions.
October 22, 2012 at 11:24 am, Charles said:
I just recieved the same email. This time, she has alleegd that she wants me to help her buy an airplane. What a joke
October 22, 2012 at 1:08 pm, laura pattillo said:
Will someone PLEASE go after this woman. This is not the 10th time I’ve gotten an email from her.
October 23, 2012 at 9:39 am, Don said:
I received the initial and follow up yesterday and early this morning. Docs looked suspicious and obviously did not conform to post 2008 Korean law. Google search yielded this article and no confirmation of the defendant residing in this community. I terminated my email with a clarification of no attorney client relationship and an invitation to travel to Houston Texas if this Harmony is real and sincere. I doubt the 15 year old from Flint, or Sparks, or Oakland or wherever they actually sit in front of a PC will be inclined to make the trip!
Still, it is a shame that these people actually make it more difficult for others to find and engage counsel on legitimate matters. Oh well, welcome to the 21st century.
October 24, 2012 at 9:50 am, John said:
Received the same from yharmon@iprimus on Monday. It smelled bad right away, so I googled the name and here I am. If someone wants to go after ‘them’ – probably an organized criminal group or a foreign intelligence organ – I guess you have to get the bogus cashier’s check in hand, get it dishonored in a special account unconnected to any of your other banking info, and then try to prosecute on the bad check.
Just a note: no matter what your bar rules say, paying out on a cashier’s check that has not cleared is NOT an ‘acceptable risk’. My father worked in a bank for 45 years and explained that a certified check is backed by funds on hand in the issuing institution, but a cashier’s check is just a check written by one bank on an account it holds in another bank. With bank failures in the ’30’s, lots of worthless cashier’s checks were in circulation. If you get a certified check, call the bank to be sure the check is real and the cash is on hand. If you get a cashier’s check, wait until YOUR bank says the cash is in. Also be aware that some scammers have recruited helpers inside some banks(!!).
October 24, 2012 at 3:33 pm, Russ said:
Same story, different city. “She” emailed me and said Shin was residing in my little town in Florida.
Sad.
October 29, 2012 at 10:43 am, Jenny said:
I’ve received at least 5 emails from “Harmony Young” since last week. I received 2 this morning.
Jenny
western Massachusetts
October 29, 2012 at 12:21 pm, Michael said:
I also received this email and sent them $1000 in order to show good faith before they hired my firm. They are sending me the retainer agreements.
Just kidding….
These blind solicitations, sent to “Dear Counsel” with a vague legal claim, are really getting cheeky. Hopefully, in time, all that receive these will be able to spot the nature of these attempted frauds.
If the person who sends these solicitations cannot be verified, there’s no need to send them a contract nor open your trust account to them.
October 29, 2012 at 2:47 pm, Travis said:
I’ve been receiving these for a while now. Glad to see I’m not alone in getting these and people aren’t being duped.
October 29, 2012 at 2:53 pm, Mike said:
Got the email last week. I emailed a retainer. Today I got a check from the husband for almost three hundred thousand dollars. Immediately checked the web, and found this post, and a few others. Wow. The check looks really good. I think I will frame it, lol
October 30, 2012 at 11:28 am, Tina said:
Shin Young resides in Benton County, Arkansas! Who knew?
Received several email from Harmony Young. I finally replied to the third one, just out of curiosity. I knew it was a scam because the email address ended in .co.au but she/he gave a different address for replies. I finally decided to search “Harmony Young” and found this site. The documents are NOT all that great… the passport has quite blurry print except for the name, address, etc.
October 30, 2012 at 12:38 pm, Barry said:
Small update –
first email was from “[email protected]” , but it asked to respond to “[email protected]”. I did respond. 2nd email was from “[email protected],” and did not mention to use the att.net address again.
At first I thought the docs looked pretty legit, but as another lawyer pointed out – the clarity of some of the lines on the passport compared to the smaller print sticks out pretty well. I think the airplane one would be more fun, but it did have me brushing up on comity of nations, enforcement of foreign judgments, etc..
October 30, 2012 at 7:56 pm, Steve said:
Well, this is depressing. Though, less depressing than being short a few hundred thousand dollars.
November 02, 2012 at 2:50 pm, Terence P. Ruf, Jr. Esquire said:
Harmony has made it to the east coast. Just got a couple emails. Sent the Fee agreement and retainer. She sent the docments posted here. Looked funny to me. as stated, too perfect. When she asked for my bank name, I knew something was up. Sent the standard, “representation begins when your check clears” spliel and a “by the way, I can’t find either of you on the internet.” I doubt that I will get a reply.
November 02, 2012 at 4:11 pm, resa said:
I am neither a lawyer nor a paralegal. They must have gotten my name & email address off of one of the divorce sites where I have provided support. Weird.
November 06, 2012 at 11:07 am, Rayanne Tobey, Esq. said:
She’s made it to Oklahoma today using the [email protected] email address. Thankfully I’m always a little suspicious.
November 06, 2012 at 12:33 pm, Tina said:
She contacted me again! Wow! Harmony really needs her money! Here is my reply to all three email addresses:
“Sounds like Shin has screwed you over. Well, if you are dumb enough to fall for his promise of big money, though you knew he was going back to the USA, then you deserve to go without anything. If you think the kids will suffer, ship them off to Shin. That, or put them to work in a local sweatshop so at least they are paying for their keep. Good luck!”
Too much?
November 06, 2012 at 3:22 pm, Ethan said:
“Ms. Young” has now set her sights on members of Oregon State Bar. I’ll post the content of the email I received, which had “scam” written all over it. A google search quickly led me to this helpful site. Here is the email I received:
[email protected]
3:43 AM (7 hours ago)
to undisclosed recipients
I wish to file a contempt petition against my ex-spouse for breaching the
court’s decree with regards to payment of divorce settlement. Please advise
if you handle such case.
Please reply to [email protected]
Harmony Young
November 07, 2012 at 2:53 pm, David said:
Harmony’s ex gets around, doesn’t he? My suspicions were first aroused when I saw that the Korean government couldn’t spell the name of the country in English on the passport: “Rebuplic of Korea”! Further, the court documents from a Korean court in Uijeongbu (I’ve actually been there!) were in English with no certificate of translation. Well done, but no prize, Harmony.
November 07, 2012 at 3:57 pm, Alan said:
I was contacted yesterday by Harmony and am so glad to have run across this site today. I thought a lot was fishy, but especially when she changed her email address from [email protected] to [email protected]. Neither of those email addresses sound Korean to me.
November 08, 2012 at 11:56 am, Monika B said:
We got the same email . Harmony even picked our office out as the ONLY attorney in this tiny NC town.
Thanks for posting.