Description of Potential Fraud:

fraud-warning

Two Ontario lawyers have been contacted by the purported Dah Sing Lei with regards to what looks like a real estate bad cheque scam. As with scams of this type, it appears that this fraud is a set-up for a request to return real estate deal deposit monies paid with a bad cheque. For a full description of how this fraud works and a list of names associated with it, see our Confirmed Fraud page.

Here is the email:

From: Dah Sing Lei
To:
Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2012 6:03 AM
Subject: Legal professional services needed.

Good day Attorney;

I am Mr.Dah Sing Lei,am currently in China. I will be retiring soon and as such intend relocating to the United States for Good, after searching the U.S Chamber of Commerce Profile for a reliable Attorney/Law Firm,I found your firm and I have decided to choose your firm to represent me as regards buying my permanent home over there in the U.S.

The home will be a cash buy and I will fly to the United States for inspection of the property but before then I would like my broker in Canada to send the money to your firms trust account before my arrival.I intend to make the funds available in U.S before coming to choose and view the said property, please I would want to retain your services as my attorney,in a view that my broker can send the funds directly to you via your trust account for keeps,until I arrive in the USA for the conclusion of the house purchase deal.

I intend getting a 4 bed rooms/6 bed rooms home of between $400,000.00 – $750,000.00 U.S Dollars in a nice neighborhood in your city,i will appreciate your prompt response to my request and your professional services/advise will be appreciated.

Regards
Mr.Dah Sing Lei.
Alternative email:[email protected]

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.