by FraudInfo

Date First Reported: June 2013

Primary Name Associated: Wei Mingzhu

Description of Potential Fraud:

fraud-warning

An Ontario lawyer has notified us that he received an email from the purported Wei Mingzhu looking to retain him 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 initial email:

From: Mr Wei Mingzhu. [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: June 14, 2013 9:56 AM
Subject: Debt Collection matter

I am in need of your Legal assistance on a debt collection matter and i sincerely hope you will be able to assist me.
Regards,
Mr Wei Mingzhu.

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.