Date First Reported: January 2013

Primary Name Associated: Olson Sevsson

Description of Potential Fraud:

fraud-warning

Thirty lawyers in Ontario and the U.S. lawyers have notified us that they’ve received an email from the purported Olson Sevsson looking to retain them with regards to a breach of a business loan agreement. 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 loan frauds.

Here is the email:

From: Olson Sevsson
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
Date: 30/01/2013 01:05 PM
Subject: New Case

We are seeking for a lawyer to assist in a collection case which requires immediate attention. If this is within your line of practice please contact us promptly because we will like to speak with you. I will also need a referral if this case is not within your line of practice.

Sincerely,
Olson Sevsson.

A lawyer who replied got this response and fake documentation:

On Behalf of Bjordal Industrier AS, I want to thank you for taking time in following up with our request. Our company purchased steel materials from Rockville Steel and Manufacturing Company which you already know is our debtor. We carried out an inspection on the materials before making payment and arrangements on shipping. After the first inspection was done we agreed to pay them the full amount which was stated on the sales contract. On the day of sailing we carried out a final inspection and discovered that the materials on board were not the same we had inspected previously, on that note we cancelled our order and requested for our funds. They promised to return the funds 2 weeks from the day of cancellation which was October 1st 2012. We feel if we do not take quick action on this matter we might be on the risk of loosing $5,200.000 US Dollars. Find attached our email correspondence with Rockville Steel and Manufacturing Company.

Please kindly send us your engagement letter, upon reviewing the agreement we will schedule for a telephone conference. Once you acknowledged this email, we will send you the supporting document.

SEVSSON WIRE SLIP TO ROCKVILLE STEEL AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY

Sevsson Rockville Steel…… Contract

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 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.