by FraudInfo

Description of Potential Fraud:

fraud-warning

An Ontario lawyer has notified LAWPRO that her name has been used without her knowledge as a commissioner on an Affidavit of Witness for what appears to be a fraudulent power of attorney using the above names. The lawyer did not commission the Affidavit of Witness and it appears that her signature was forged.

To date, two lawyers have contacted this lawyer concerning the power of attorney, with respect to a proposed real estate transaction. It appears that an attempt is being made to find a lawyer who will act on the transaction using the Power of Attorney. The end of June is a busy time for real estate deals, and a long weekend is approaching, when fraudsters are often very active.

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.