by FraudInfo

Date First Reported: July 2014

Primary Name Associated: John Loughran

Description of Potential Fraud:

fraud-warning

A Maryland firm notified us that they received an email from the purported Kevin (or John) Loughran of Loughran Motor Company looking to retain them with regards to a commercial debt collection.

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 debtor (who is 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 email sent by the fraudster to the lawyer:

From: JJ Loughran Electric Motor Company [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, July 29, 2014 3:55 AM
Subject: Breach Matters

Dear Attorney,
We are inquiring for an Attorney who specializes in Breach of Contract
or Litigation. Please kindly advise if you currently taking on new
clients so I can send details of the dispute and involving parties.
Best Regards,
Kevin Loughran

Replying to the email brought this response:

Thank you for your prompt response to this matter. The dispute is with ALLEGANY MOTOR & PUMP SERVICE with registered office at 130 S. Wineow St.,Cumberland, MD 21502 , United State. They supplied us with electric motors that failed to Meet UK safety standards. The sales agreement states that if any purchase fails to meet safety Standards, we should notify them within 28 days of delivery of the Goods for a full refund or exchange. The agreement also states that the refund or exchange will be processed within 14 days of receipt of the returned goods

We received these goods at our warehouse on the 27th of Sept 2012. The Seller was notified on the 8th of October 2012 that the goods have failed to meet safety test. The goods was immediately returned back And delivery was confirmed by the seller on the 9th of November 2012. A refund of $1,265,423.60 was due on or before the 23rd of November 2012. ALLEGANY MOTOR & PUMP SERVICE refunded the sum of $359,133.15 February 5th 2013 and made another refund September 19th 2013 in the sum of $230,659.33. The balance sum is $675,631.12, but till date we have not received any money for the returned goods.

I have contacted “Patrick Michael Himmler” the (Managing Director) numerous Times and our last conversation with him he offered to exchange the Goods. An exchange is not acceptable as we no longer stock these Company products for safety reasons.

We request your representation to enable us collect these debt owed to us by ALLEGANY MOTOR & PUMP SERVICE, We do not intend to resort to litigation unless all other options are exhausted but we will like the comfort of knowing that the option is available and letting our customer know that litigation may be enforced if the option becomes necessary.

We understand the concept of running a conflict check that is why we are providing our delinquent customer located in your state for your conflict check and to enable you present to us your retainer agreement for your services. This will allow our board of directors decides on the circumstances of the retainer in our next board meeting. Also once we have reviewed your agreement, I will forward you supporting documents i.e., proof of payment, sales invoice, so your firm can start working on this case immediately. Attached is the sales agreement between ALLEGANY MOTOR & PUMP SERVICE and JJ LOUGHRAN ELECTRIC MOTOR COMPANY for your review. If you require any more details, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind Regards,

Kevin Loughran
Managing / Engineering Director
JJ Loughran – Manchester
3000 Aviator Way
Manchester Business Park
Manchester M22 5TG
Tel: +44 (0)745 227 6424
Tel: +44 (0)208 144 6725
Fax: +44 (0)872 022 1533

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.