Commercial debt collection scam by Reidar Martinus of Bjordal IndustrierAS

Posted March 5, 2013 by FraudInfo

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Description of Potential Fraud:

Six lawyers in the U.S. have notified us that they have received an email from the purported Reidar Martinus of Bjordal IndustrierAS with regards to a commercial debt litigation scam. For examples of other names attached to this kind of fraud see our Confirmed Fraud Page. For an explanation of how this fraud works see our Fraud Fact Sheet.

Here is the initial email:

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, March 01, 2013 5:25 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject:

Dear Counsel,

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,
Reidar Martinus

Replying to the email brought this response:

Thank you for responding to our request, in regard to your firm representing
our company. Find below our debtor information for a conflict check, Once
the check has been completed I will like you to advise on the next step
which your firm would like to take in regard to representing our company.

Benco Steel Inc
2710 Us Highway 70 SE, Hickory NC

I hope to hear from you at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Reidar Martinus
Vice President
Bjordal IndustrierAS
Telefon:+47 800 10 738
Fax: +47 85 22 83 65
Bjørdal Industrier AS
Torvmyrane 21, Hovdebygda

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.