by FraudInfo

Date First Reported: January 2013

Primary Name Associated: Stuart Charles

Description of Potential Fraud:

fraud-warning

Four Ontario lawyers have notified us that they’ve been contacted by the purported Stuart Charles with regards to an unfair dismissal settlement scam. In this type of fraud the lawyer is retained to demand a settlement from the employer, and is similar to workplace injury settlement scams we’ve seen. The fraudster will claim that they are overseas, but the employer is in their jurisdiction.

For details on how this fraud works and to see other names associated with it, see our Confirmed Fraud page.

Here is the initial email:

From: Stuart Charles [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: January-17-13 7:23 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: INJURY LAW CASE.

Dear Solicitor,

I write to seek legal representation to pursue an unfair dismissal claim from my worklace (NOVRATRIS CONSUMER HEALTH CANADA INC). My job function is a accountant, but also overlapped as payroll coordinator in for the last 6 months.

My problem started when my line Manager went on maternity and we got a new Interim manger from another division. After a few weeks of joining the team, she started making advances to me – like offering to take me out for dinner which I turned down, asking if I would spend the weekend with her.
One one occasion, she asked if I would drop her off on my way home as she had dropped her car at the garage, on the way she put her hand on my lap while I was driving and I had to pullover and asked her to get out of the car.

I reported this at work the next day and that is when all my problems started. From then on, she constantly criticised my work and would gave me jobs that were beneath my level or job specification. This was followed by constant sexist comments. I have spoken to a few people who can be witnesses to this.

I was finally wrongly accused of falsifying my holiday records and overtime payments which is untrue and dismissed 2.5 months ago with just 4 week payoff. This was followed by problems in my personal life with the death of my mother in the US and I am at a very difficult situation. I have been researching the employment laws in Canada and I am convinced I am eligible for compensation for unfair dismissal and sexual harassment.

I have written to my former employers informing them that I will be seeking legal representation and so they asking that they settle CAD300,000 (which amounts to approx 5 years wages + bonus) for unfair dismissal or we meet in court.

If you are happy to take this on, I will be pleased if it is done on a contigency basis. Let me know at your earliest convenience. In can be contacted via my email ([email protected]).

Looking forward to your assistance in this regard.

Stuart Charles

Stuart Passport (2)

Charles Dismissal Letter
Charles Employment letter

One lawyer’s office received this fake certified cheque:

Charles Cheque

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.