by FraudInfo

Date First Reported: August 2013

Primary Name Associated: Benard Oddval

Description of Potential Fraud:

fraud-warning

An Ontario lawyer notified us that he received an email from the purported Benard Oddval looking to retain him with regards to a breach of a business loan agreement.

This is a classic bad cheque scam that presents as legal matter requiring the assistance of a lawyer. In this scam lawyers will be duped into wiring real funds from their trust accounts after depositing a fake cheque received as payment from the debtor (who is part of the fraud). See our Confirmed Fraud Page for more of an explanation of how these frauds work and other names associated with it , and our Fraud Fact Sheet for a list the red flags of a bogus legal matter that is really a fraud.

Here is the initial contact email sent by the fraudster to the lawyer:

Message from Benard Oddval on Wed, 21 Aug 2013 01:38:42 +0400 —–
To:
Subject: Dear Counsel
Dear Counsel,
This is a request for your possible representation in a breach of contract matter. Mr Benard Oddval I like to know if your schedule will permit you to handle a case off breach contract between me and a customer in your jurisdiction. If there are processes new clients are meant to go through before a case is accepted please advice, or if you accept case base on referral I would want to know also. It is important we hear from you as soon as possible so we can decide on what to do. If you have any questions or concern do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected]

Benard Oddval

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.

For more immediate updates on fraud and claims prevention, subscribe to the email or RSS feed updates from LAWPRO’s AvoidAClaim blog.

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.