Real estate bad cheque scam by Yuang Thomas
Description of Potential Fraud:
An Ontario lawyer has been contacted by the purported Yuang Thomas with regards to what looks like a real estate bad cheque scam. Another lawyer received an identical email from this person in June of 2010. For details of how this scam works see our Confirmed Fraud page.
Here is the email:
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: February-10-12 9:58 AM
To:
I am Mr.Yuang Thomas,am currently in China. I will be retiring soon and as
such intend relocating to Canada for Good, after searching the Canada
Chamber of Commerce Profile for a reliable Attorney/Law Firm,I found your
firm and I have decided to contact your firm to represent me as regards
buying my permanent home there in Canada.
The home will be a cash buy and I will fly to Canada for the closing in deal
for the property buy,but before then I would like my stock broker in Canada
to send the money to your firms trust account before my arrival.I intend to
make the funds available in Canada before coming in person for the closing
deal of the said property.
I am checking on some properties of my choice in your state already and
will be discussing with the seller/seller’s realtor as soon as i make a
pick.
I intend getting a 4 bed rooms/6 bed rooms home of between $350,000.00 –
$800,000.00 USD in a nice neighborhood in your state.Finally to this end i
will appreciate your prompt response to my request and your assistance will
be appreciated.
Regards
Mr.Yuang Thomas
Telephone: + 852-8199-0710
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.
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