Separation agreement scam using the name Alice Swang
Date First Reported: July 2014
Primary Name Associated: Alice Swang
Description of Potential Fraud:
[Updated Dec 2014]
25 firms in Canada, the U.S. and overseas have notified us that they received an email from the purported Alice Swang looking to retain them with regards to a collecting overdue payments resulting from a separation 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 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: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Alice Swang
Sent: Monday, June 30, 2014 2:29 AM
Subject: Dear Counsel
—
Dear Counsel ,
My name is Alice Swang , I am contacting your firm in regards to a separation Agreement with my ex husband (Yan Swang) who resides in your jurisdiction.I am currently in Seoul.
We had Divorce settlement agreement for him to pay the Agreement he own me ,hope to hear from you as soon as possible Awaiting Thanks.
Warmest Regards,
Alice Swang.
126 Palpan-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-220, South Korea.
Some lawyers’ emails referred to ‘Maria Barry’
My name is maria barry , I am contacting your firm in regards to aseparation Agreement with my ex husband (Yan Swang) who resides in yourjurisdiction.I am currently in Seoul.We had Divorce settlement agreement for him to pay the Agreement he own me which he default .Please if this is not your area of practice, refer me to a good attorney.hope to hear from you as soon as possible awaiting your responds Thanks .
> Warmest Regards,
Replying to the email brought this response and fake documentation:
Dear Counsel ,Thank you very much for your concern and supports , If you received the Separation Agreement attach please revert back to me as soon as possible i will be happy to have your agreement sheet so i can endorsed my signature on it , because i want my funds back awaiting your responds thank you .Warmest Regards ,Alice .
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.
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.
July 27, 2014 at 5:21 pm, Florida Abagado said:
I just wanted to post that I just got an email from this scam artist. Thanks for posting stuff like this on your site.
July 29, 2014 at 4:16 am, Dan Johnson said:
Dear Sirs,
The same scam is sought to be propagated into English law firms.
Thank you – This web-site is very helpful.
July 30, 2014 at 6:16 pm, farid scoon said:
We are in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and have been approached with the same scam
August 19, 2014 at 10:40 am, Sergey Klimenko said:
Thank you for this website, fraudsters also spam Russian law firms.
September 16, 2014 at 6:14 pm, Vincent Lualdi said:
I received it in Italy, and am waiting for the evidence……
October 16, 2014 at 9:36 am, Monica D said:
We also received one in Mexico. Thank you for the information.
October 22, 2014 at 6:38 am, Adrienne de Jong said:
In the Netherlands I also received a message from this Alice Swang.
October 23, 2014 at 8:50 pm, bb said:
today we also received one in Mongolia from Alice Swan. Previously we have received same email from Patricia Miller. Thank you for good information.
November 11, 2014 at 4:49 pm, Luna & Reyes said:
We also received this in Dominican Republic… Alice Swang and Yan Swang
November 21, 2014 at 4:51 am, Emma said:
This email has been received in Australian law firms also. Thank you for reporting on it.
December 20, 2014 at 8:55 am, E.G. said:
I received this email and documents in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic from Alice Swan.
Thank you for the information.
January 12, 2015 at 9:46 pm, JE said:
We have received this email in Taipei, Taiwan.
January 21, 2015 at 3:26 pm, Mike said:
I just got this email requesting legal help in Rome, Italy.
March 23, 2015 at 11:17 am, Sonia Ortiz said:
Thank you for your support and initiative. I received the same email requesting legal assistance for the same subject matter in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
April 17, 2015 at 5:11 pm, Rebecca said:
We got this same e-mail today (in South Carolina) from “Alice Swang Young” in Seoul, South Korea.
April 30, 2015 at 5:25 am, Bermuda said:
Now going under the alias Alice Wang and ex husband now Yan Wang.
June 22, 2015 at 2:31 pm, Sherry LJ said:
Scam email is also requesting a referral if this is not your expertise.
“Dear Counsel ,
My name is Alice wang I am contacting your firm in regards to a separation Agreement with my ex husband (Yan wang) who resides in your jurisdiction. I am currently in Seoul.
We had Divorce settlement agreement for him to pay the Agreement he owe me which he default.
Please if this is not your area of practice, refer me to a good attorney.
Hope to hear from you as soon as possible.
Awaiting your responds.
Warmest Regards,
Alice Wang.
126 Palpan-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-220, South Korea.
+905370196480
[email protected]”
September 04, 2015 at 9:59 am, Sheryl M said:
Received the same email in Colorado with attachments.
September 08, 2015 at 3:22 pm, Michael J. Cummins said:
I received this one recently. Would have replied to it if not for this site:
Subject: RE: Legal Issue
From: “Alice Wang”
Date: 9/8/15 1:36 pm
To:
Dear Counsel,
My name is Alice Wang, do you handle child support and separation
agreement cases?, please i have a case with my ex husband (Yan Wang),
kindly advice for more details on the case.
Hope to hear from you as soon as possible awaiting your responds.
Warmest Regards,
Alice
September 09, 2015 at 7:26 pm, Jason Wilson said:
Guys,
You have it all wrong. Don’t just ignore these. Have fun with them. Drag out the process for as long as possible. Use up as much of their time as you can. For instance, tell them that you need proof that they are a real person and so you need to see a picture of them holding a newspaper. After that, tell them that you need a picture of them holding that newspaper while wearing a hat. And then no shirt and on and on. The only limit here is your imagination.
– Jason Wilson
December 09, 2015 at 4:27 pm, Max said:
Received this scam in a french canadian law firm !
March 01, 2016 at 6:36 pm, s. fraser said:
Hi
Received email from Alice Wang and also one from ex Yan Wang
Suspected the scam. Awaiting her call and his contact information.
This website is great confirmed my suspicions. Thanks a nil!!
July 05, 2018 at 12:27 pm, Garvin Nicholas said:
I am in Trinidad and Tobago and have been approached with this scam. The wording in the email is very similar and she goes by the name Alice Wang. She also phoned me directly. Fortunately, I carried out due diligence checks including scanning the internet for any evidence of fraud before entertaining. Your information has been very useful.
April 03, 2019 at 11:05 am, Rodríguez said:
In the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, we were targeted by the perpetrators. Fortunately through an online search we found this page. The name follows by “Alice Wang” and her husband “Yan Wang”. We received a scan version of her passport, separation agreement, and decree of divorce.
The law firm received the following email:
«Dear Counsel ,
My name is Alice Wang, do you handle child support and separation
agreement cases ? please i have a case with my ex husband (Yan Wang)
kindly advice for more details on the case.
Hope to hear from you as soon as possible awaiting your responds.
Warmest Regards ,
Alice .
05367839135 .»
November 26, 2020 at 3:56 pm, Venesha said:
In St. Kitts and Nevis and have been approached by the same scammers. We requested Identification cards and received passport and drivers licenses which were clearly tampered with. We then asked for notarized copies. A cheque was then sent via courier to our office from seemingly Canada, stating that we should deposit. Then was told we should advance an amount even before it cleared. By that time we emailed and notified they were flagged under our fraud checks and all documentation will be handed over to the authorities.
April 27, 2021 at 12:50 pm, Rolf Koert said:
Alice Swang is now Alice Wang and her husband Yan Wang. I suspected something was off, so I searched the internet and found this information.
Thank you!
September 01, 2021 at 1:16 pm, Yvonne Mullen said:
In the Cayman Islands
Dear Counsel ,
My name is Alice Wang, do you handle child support and separation
agreement cases ? please i have a case with my ex husband (Yan Wang)
kindly advice for more details on the case.
Hope to hear from you as soon as possible awaiting your responds.
Warmest Regards ,
Alice .
053678391357
March 24, 2022 at 9:38 am, Mac said:
We were approached in The Bahamas. The introductory email reads:
Dear Counsel ,
My name is Alice Wang, do you handle child support and separation
agreement cases ? please i have a case with my ex husband (Yan Wang)
kindly advice for more details on the case.
Hope to hear from you as soon as possible awaiting your responds.
Warmest Regards ,
Alice .
053678391358 .