Commercial equipment purchase scam using the name David Spiro
Description of Potential Fraud:
Two Ontario firms have notified us that they received an email from the purported David Spiro looking to retain them with regards to making a large commercial purchase.
This appears to be a bad cheque scam (with a real company likely being impersonated) 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:
From: David L Spiro [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: May 11, 2017 7:13 AM
To:
Subject: Escrow Inquiry
Good day, I am writing to inquire if you can offer my requested service. I am purchasing a used construction equipment, (Earthmoving Trencher) in your state and the purchase sales agreement requires trust in form of escrow services, I want to know if you can provide escrow service/security for this purchase.
Let me know if this is within your service capacity and I can email a copy of the purchase invoice, escrow instruction and purchase agreement for your review, if you cannot provide closing and escrow service for this purchase I will appreciate your effort if you can recommend who can.
Thank you while I await your response,
Best Regards,
David L. Spiro,
1011 Fourier Drive
San Jose, CA 95127.
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]. We use this information for the warnings we post on AvoidAClaim. We do not disclose the names of firms that have provided us with information.
Ontario Lawyers - Call LAWPRO
If you are an Ontario lawyer acting on a matter that you suspect might be a fraud, call LAWPRO at 1-800-410-1013 (416-598-5899). One of our Fraud Team members 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, we will work with you to prevent the fraud and minimize potential claims costs.
What can you do to help put a stop to the fraud attempt?
You can simply stop replying to the fraudster’s emails or inform them that you suspect fraud and will not act on the matter. You can report the fraudsters’ email addresses to the email hosting company. If you have a fraudulent cheque you can destroy it or send it to the fraud department of the financial institution it is drawn upon. In Canada, you can report the fraud to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
We are often asked if it is worthwhile to report the fraud attempt to the police in the hopes of helping catch the fraudsters. You can certainly report the fraud to your local or federal law enforcement agencies, but unfortunately it is often difficult, expensive and time consuming for them to attempt to shut down these online fraud perpetrators (though there are some successes).
What if the fraud has been successful?
If you have been successfully duped, please immediately notify LAWPRO as there may be a claim against you. See the LAWPRO website for instructions on how to report a claim.
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. To proactively prevent trust account shortfalls and malpractice claims, LAWPRO encourages firms to teach their lawyers and staff about fraud and how to recognize fraud attempts.
May 11, 2018 at 10:39 am, David Heinlein said:
I received the same letter, word-for-word, except it was from David M. Adams, out of Arlington VA.
August 05, 2018 at 7:24 am, Kris said:
“Marvin Albright” sent me essentially the same but with a few words changed and in regards to a crane.
December 26, 2018 at 3:19 pm, Dieter Domanovic said:
I received the same email from a David Adams. My reply indicated that he should send the documents to me so long as he understands that I operate through wire transfer only. Certified checks, drafts, or other forms would be insufficient. Of course, I never heard from Mr. Adams again.