by FraudInfo

Date First Reported: July 2015

Primary Name Associated: Ivan Smejkal

Description of Potential Fraud:

fraud-warning

A Colorado firm notified us that they received an email from the purported Ivan Smejkal of IBS Engineering looking to retain them with regards to making a large commercial purchase.

This appears to be a 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 purchaser (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 contact email sent to the lawyer:

Name Ivan Smejkal
Subject: sale and purchase transactions
Message: May I know if your firm handles sale and purchase transactions and agreements? If not, a referral will be quite appreciated. Do respond by e-mail to me,so we can proceed. E-mail: [email protected] Thanks Ivan Smejkal President I B S Engineering Limited 2724 Coventry Rd Oakville, L6H 6R1 ON Canada Phone:1-519-551-7124 Fax: 226-838-0993
Email [email protected]
Sent on: 20 July, 2015
Thank you!

Replying to the email brought this response:

Thank you for the response. We are in the process of selling a dredger to a buyer residing in your area. We need an attorney to help me draft a purchase and sale agreement for the transaction. I have attached some necessary details of the dredger for your review, 
please advise on your rate, retainer fee and forward to me your retainer agreement to sign, sales price $2,950,000.00 ( Two Million Nine Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars).

Find below the name of the proposed buyer for your conflict check.

G Cleland Inc
768 Canyon Creek Drive
Glenwood Springs, CO 81601

IVAN SMEJKAL
President, 
I B S Engineering Limited
2724 Coventry Rd
Oakville, L6H 6R1 ON Canada
Phone: 1-519-551-7124 
Fax: 226-838-0993

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.

For more immediate updates on fraud and claims prevention, subscribe to the email or RSS feed updates from LAWPRO’s AvoidAClaim blog.

Fraud Fact SheetMore 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.