Divorce settlement scam by Reiko Mitsuo
Date First Reported: January 2012
Primary Name Associated: Reiko Mitsuo
Description of Potential Fraud:
Three U.S. lawyers have notified us that they have been contacted by the purported Reiko Mitsuo with regards to a divorce settlement agreement. 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.
Here is an example of the initial email:
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2012 8:21 AM
Subject:
Good day,i sent you a mail of a divorce settlement with my ex husband and i
am yet to hear from you,please want to know if you are still interested in
helping,so that we can get this done with.
Reiko Mitsuo
A lawyer who replied got this response and supporting documentation:
I am in receipt of your email. Currently am living in South Korea for an assignment and Waltson Mitsuo my ex lives in your CA, Due to the time difference (+13hrs EST) it is a little bit difficult to determine the best time to call you. We agreed under this Collaborative Law Agreement attached to this mail for a onetime cash settlement of $496,500.00USD to his credit, he has paid me $183,500.00USD but still owing $313,000.00USD. I am hereby seeking your firm`s assistance in collecting the balance from him or litigate this matter if he fails to pay because the proposed time for payment has long elapsed. He is aware of my intention to seek legal actions. I will be pleased to provide further information on this matter on request. I have already advised him I am planning on retaining your firm. If you are in interested in taking on this matter, kindly send me your firm’s service retainer agreement for my preview.
Thank you and have a pleasant day.
Regards,
Reiko Mitsuo
Home Address: Sangsu-dong 481-10 Hoseong
Building 9G9 Mapo-Gu, Seoul Korea
0082-31-656 7883
Office Address:
68 Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea
Mitsuo Collaborative_Law_Agreement
Mitsuo Divorce_Decree
Mitsuo Settlement_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.
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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.
February 16, 2012 at 9:20 am, Ray Shatzer said:
I am in the middle of this scam and it appears Chase Bank is really not interested in what I have, other than to take the check they drafted on a Chase Cashier’s Check. I have received phone calls and numerous emails and he/she/they think I have funds to transfer to them. I question whether they really are interested in catching them. I can somewhat understand this, because the emails come from a Hong Kong email and the check came from Canada.
February 16, 2012 at 11:37 am, Robert Stariha said:
I too am in the middle of the scam and want to turn this matter over to authorities to investigate. I have received the purported Chase Cashier’s Check and am getting calls (obviously disquised voice and blocked caller number) and emails about depositing the check. Suggestions anyone?
February 21, 2012 at 10:19 pm, brucehasbrouck said:
this is a common scam, i have received a number of VERY similar scams in the last couple of years. They must have a patsy list somewhere. the authorities are well aware of this scam and evidently have other fish to fry. I just make a copy of everything I get and send it the State A G or district atty and FBI and let them do what they want. You can always tell them the bad guys, you got the check and your bank would only give you half of it, the balance wont be released for 10 to 12 days. You wont send the money by wire or mail as you are afraid of scam artists, but if they need it now, you would be glad to meet them at the closest airport. if they accept your scam, give the whole package to the FBI and see if they will meet the scammers, with agents Smith and Wesson.
September 17, 2014 at 6:00 pm, Jeff said:
442-777-2186 from Escondido, CA is the cell they are texting me with if you want to report that to CA authorities. I am a mediator and not an attorney. I won’t be handling any money so I won’t be scammed.