Breach of IP agreement scam using the names Robert Ullrich and Daimon Verlag
Description of Potential Fraud:
Three California firms reported to us that they’ve been contacted by the purported Robert Ullrich of Daimon Verlag with regards to retaining their services to collect on a breach of an IP 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 party in breach of the agreement (who is also part of the fraud). See our Confirmed Fraud Page for more of an explanation of how these frauds work and to see other names associated with it. Our Fraud Fact Sheet lists 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:
From: Robert Ullrich [[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, July 04, 2014 02:17 AM Eastern Standard Time
To:
Subject: Daimon Publishers
Can you please assist, or refer us to an attorney for a breach of intellectual property agreement matter in your jurisdiction,
Yours Sincerely,
Robert Ullrich
General Counsel
Daimon Verlag
Hauptstr 85 8840 Einsiedeln
Einsiedeln Switzerland
+414458534
http://www.daimon.ch/
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. Instructions on how to report a claim are here.
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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.
July 04, 2014 at 1:21 pm, Doug Graham said:
This fraudster previously used the name Albert Gangolf, also of Daimon Verlag AG. He will send a copy of a contract that has nothing whatsoever to do with intellectual property. His claim is for non-payment of a large shipment of books and other printed materials – apparently his concept of “intellectual property”.
This is one of the clumsiest scams I’ve seen to date. His checks are impressive, though. One actually fooled both the drawee bank and the supposed drafter, a substantial Ohio healthcare company.