Seperation agreemeent scam by Cynthia Taisu
Date First Reported: February 2013
Primary Name Associated: Cynthia Taisu
Description of Potential Fraud:
A lawyer in Ontario and one in Pennsylvania have notified us that they’ve been contacted by the purported Cynthia Taisu with regards to a to a collaborative family law agreement dispute. This is a fraud we have seen before under several other names and similar scenarios. For details on how this fraud works and a full list of names attached to it see our Confirmed Fraud page.
After responding to an initial email, the lawyers received this response and fake documentation:
From: Ms Cynthia Taisu [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2012 8:49 AM
To: lawyer email
Subject: I NEED YOUR HELP
I appreciate your prompt response to my inquiry As a result of time difference between both countries, it’s a little bit difficult to reach your law office via telephone though I will give it a try as soon as I am disposed. I will try as much as possible to let you into what transpired between I and my ex-spouse before he relocated to Media, PA, United States.
We were divorced in South Korea but my ex husband Mr.Taisu now live in United States, he is a citizen in your country.
We both agreed under a separation agreement incorporated, merged into and made part of the court decree for a settlement of child support, spousal support, and medical support of $461,100.00, he has paid me 150,000.00 but still owing $311,100.00 and the stipulated time for completion of payment has long elapsed.
The reason I have contacted your law office is that there is already an agreement in place and I am bent on getting what is due for me and my children. I know certainly that my ex-spouse has the financial means to pay balance he owes me,to this end.
I request your legal services to enforce the court order compelling him to remit balance due me and my children. I will be willing to provide more details including documents on this case upon you request. I expect this to be resolved in a timely manner and as such if you are willing to proceed, kindly send me a copy of your law firm’s letter of engagement/retainer and if the terms are acceptable I will sign so we can commence the process without delay.
What are your charges per hour for an attorney and a paralegal? Thank you for your anticipated cooperation and professionalism.
Regards,
Ms Cynthia.
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.
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