New variation of the bad cheque fraud: Dog bite cases
[First posted May 2019. Updated January 2020]
Several lawyers have notified us of a new variation on the old bad cheque debt collection scam. This scenario involves a dog bite, and the promise of an insurer to pay a settlement for medical expenses. It even comes with gruesome dog bite photos that were apparently taken from a British newspaper story.
As with all bad cheque scams, it 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 other party (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 Cybercrime and Bad Cheque Scams Fraud Fact Sheet lists the red flags of a bogus legal matter that is really a fraud.
Below is a sample of an email received by the lawyers. Other names associated with the scam include Rick Ferguson, Cesar Justicia, Danny Haupt, Aaron Diaz, Anthony Grinner, Mundo Edgardo, Carlos Raul Jack Gregory, Julio Alfonso, and Santos L. Opelanio
From: Eddie barrington [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: April 26, 2019 8:38 AM
Subject: Dog Bite Case
Dear Counsel ,
I will need your service in a personal injury case(Dog Bite).
Please let me know if you handle such cases, so I can send you more details.
Regards,
Eddie Barrington
Replying to the email brought this colourful response:
Thanks for your response.
This incident happened on October 16th, 2018 while on I was on holiday in Saint John, NB with my beautiful wife Rebecca. , when I was attacked by a neighbor Pit bull dog. Am from Bahamas, 2013 i got a job in Dragados Offshore México, since 2013 i base in Mexico.
I was in our Un-fenced back yard getting wood from the wood pile when the dog approached me. So it was a great surprise when this Vicious dog, without provocation or any warning signs at all, attacked my face, biting me and causing gaping wounds near my left eye and and leg and serious scratches to the skin around my eyes (See attached photo). I was standing right next to the wood pile when it happened, as were the owners of the dog who could not control his dog.
With Hands clutching my eye as blood pours from my face completely soaking my clothes , I was rushed to hospital in an ambulance, where I had immediate treatment to stop the bleeding.
It was agreed then with the owner of the dog for a settlement, they agreed to pay the cost of treatment and the out of court settlement amounting to the sum of $120,500.00.
I went to New York for plastic surgery. Despite first-rate treatment at the Hospital, I will be forever scarred my face don’t look the way it was before.
During my surgery I spent a total of $21,300.00 out of my pocket because the dog owner has failed to pay the settlement of $120,500.00 as promised.
I entered this agreement then without a legal representative as I was assured that all costs will be paid in full.
I need your help to get the dog owner and his insurer to pay Settlement sum.
Please note am already in the field, i can’t call or receive call, Let me know when we can speak, i will make myself available.
January 19, 2021 at 2:09 am, Michelle Schill said:
Aaron Diaz contacted us in San Diego February 21, 2020. He reappeared tonight as Rowe Flint. This is the third time he has contacted my office, once per year. I email him every time that we know about this scam and yet he persists.
January 20, 2021 at 4:24 pm, Sherri (paralegal) said:
Our office received two emails in a short period of time from each other, one from Hugo Boriss and the other from Rowe Miguel. Similar wording and the red flags went up immediately.
February 19, 2021 at 10:07 pm, John Covert said:
Aaron Diaz contacted me 2/12/21 for an alleged dog bite in Springfield, Illinois. Same story as posted above, except this time he paid 90,000 for surgery in New York and settled for 300,000 with Jason Schneider. This time he claimed to have left for a job on an oil tanker in Japan. Very convincing con man, watch out.
February 26, 2021 at 7:11 pm, Laleh said:
yup this just happened to me. Very convincing. Even sent me a picture of his ID, before and after pictures. Even sent a check! Reported to the FTC. No money was sent to them as I was weary of the entire situation. WHAT A SCAMMER!
March 17, 2021 at 9:27 am, Brittany said:
New variation:
“James Schenell” contacted us for an alleged pit bull bite in North Topsail, NC. Same story as posted above except:
Occurred on September 16th, 2020
Says he’s from Ecuador lives in Japan and works with JXTG Holdings, Inc.
Says he spent a total of $21,300.00 out of pocket.
We were contacted by him through Avvo.
April 06, 2021 at 5:10 pm, Bonnie J Curtis said:
We were contacted last week by a James Schenell with the exact same story, but the attack came in Cockeysville, MD when he was (oddly enough) standing by a woodpile in an unfenced yard when the vicious dog attacked him. The photos he sent were absolutely shocking. The story details are verbatim from your story.
The dog owner, Cole Schneider, agreed to pay $120,500.00 to Schenell, who is from Ecuador, but works offshore on a rig in Japan. He wanted legal help collecting the settlement to help defray his $90k plastic surgery expenses (also in New York). Red flags everywhere. Signatures on the “settlement agreement” look the same.
A little checking and neither of these people exist. Your website came up with similar scam stories.
April 16, 2021 at 3:30 pm, Allen W. Cohen said:
I was contacted in April 2021 by Vicente Custodio who told me thatIs an Ecuadorian national and was in Odenton, Maryland when he was attacked by a pitbull owned by Richard Atkinson. He was then taken to New York for plastic surgery and incurred medical bills that he paid in the amount of $42,800. He produced a settlement agreement with Mr. Atkinson showing a settlement of $192,800. He also produced gruesome photos of his injuries sustained in September 2020 and a current photo (six months later) showing remarkable healing
Vincente could not speak with me via a zoom meeting because he works on a Japan oil tanker at sea near Tokyo and they didn’t have proper band with for a zoom video.
Mr. Atkinson contacted me via email to make arrangements to provide me with the settlement check but he was not able to call me on the telephone. He could only communicate by email.
The grammar errors in the email from Vicente were very similar to the grammar errors in the email from dog owner Atkinson.
May 10, 2021 at 12:21 pm, Eddie said:
Same scam from Mach Wilson.
June 04, 2021 at 11:29 am, Paul P. Latvis, Esquire said:
My firm received exact verbatim email from Vicente Custodio on June 1, 2021. The email was identical to Allen W. Cohen’s post of April 16, 2021.
Kindly be aware Mr. “Vicente Custodio”, et. alia. are all alive and well and apparently doing business in Ecuador, Japan and points east and west and working diligently at the Japan Drilling Company, Ltd.
Beware and act accordingly.
June 30, 2021 at 4:36 pm, Richard J koloda said:
got this in today’s email. Thanks for your response.
This incident happened on October 16th, 2020 while on I was on holiday
in Aurora, OH with my wife, when I was attacked by a neighbor’s Pit bull dog.
I am from Ecuador, i live in Japan, I work with Japan Drilling Co., Ltd.
I was taking a walk around the neighborhood that evening being the first time there when the dog approached me. So, it was a great surprise when this Vicious
dog, without provocation or any warning signs at all, hurriedly attacked my
face, biting me and causing gaping wounds near my left eye and serious
scratches to the skin around my eyes (See attached photo).
With Hands clutching my eye as blood pours from my face completely
soaking my clothes , I was rushed to hospital, where I had immediate
treatment to stop the bleeding. The owner pleaded with me at the hospital.
It was agreed then with the owner of the dog for a settlement, He
agreed to pay the cost of treatment and the out of court settlement
amounting to the sum of $192,800.00. I went to New York for plastic
surgery. Despite first-rate treatment at the Hospital, I will be
forever scarred. My face don’t look the way it was before.
During my surgery I spent a total of $41,300.00 out of my pocket
because the dog owner has failed to pay the settlement of $192,800.00
as promised. I entered this agreement then without a legal
representative as I was assured that all costs will be paid in full.
Please note am already in the field, Let me know when we can speak, I
will make myself available.
Thank you
Regards,
Vicente Custodio
917 790 3572
July 07, 2021 at 10:00 am, Nia said:
Contacted in Baltimore, MD on Jul 7, 2021 with the same scam. Going by the name Joseph Willock now.
July 29, 2021 at 2:18 pm, Thomas A Brill said:
I got Vicente Custodio. Thanks for the information on this website, it helped me avoid any further communication once I got the somewhat fishy opening email. I always copy and paste a piece of an email so sites like this help enormously.
August 11, 2021 at 3:27 pm, Jason said:
My law firm received almost the exact e-mail from Vicente Custudio on May 13, 2021 which I will post below. We even sent an intake form for him to complete which he did albeit only partially. On multiple occasions, I would try to set up phone appointments with him which he would never keep and then he would re-contact via e-mail. This all sound very suspicious so just on the off chance I did a Google search using his name and this article popped up. I sent him a non-engagement letter via e-mail and told him I was referring him to other counsel and gave the e-mail address for the Missouri Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division. Below is the e-mail we received along with horrific dog bite photographs:
Thanks for your response.
This incident happened on September 16th, 2020 while on I was on holiday
in Mansfield, MO with my wife, when I was attacked by a neighbor’s Pit bull dog.
I am from Ecuador, i live in Japan, I work with Japan Drilling Co., Ltd.
I was taking a walk around the neighborhood that evening being the first time there when the dog approached me. So, it was a great surprise when this Vicious
dog, without provocation or any warning signs at all, hurriedly attacked my
face, biting me and causing gaping wounds near my left eye and serious
scratches to the skin around my eyes (See attached photo).
With Hands clutching my eye as blood pours from my face completely
soaking my clothes , I was rushed to hospital, where I had immediate
treatment to stop the bleeding. The owner pleaded with me at the hospital.
It was agreed then with the owner of the dog for a settlement, He
agreed to pay the cost of treatment and the out of court settlement
amounting to the sum of $192,800.00. I went to New York for plastic
surgery. Despite first-rate treatment at the Hospital, I will be
forever scarred. My face don’t look the way it was before.
During my surgery I spent a total of $41,300.00 out of my pocket
because the dog owner has failed to pay the settlement of $192,800.00
as promised. I entered this agreement then without a legal
representative as I was assured that all costs will be paid in full.
Please note am already in the field, let me know when we can speak, I
will make myself available. find attached an intake form.
Thank you
Regards,
Vicente Custodio
917 790 3572
September 21, 2021 at 4:20 pm, Hovannes Stepanian said:
My firm was just contacted by this guy. Seemed very fishy with his email. He wrote like a lawyer, including all of the buzz words for dog bite cases. Dont get scammed.
October 13, 2021 at 11:28 am, Val Tutti said:
Glad this web page is here. Our law firm received the following through our contact form on our website:
Name
Vicente Custodio
Email
[email protected]
Comment or Message
Counsel ,
Kindly let me know if you practice personal injury on (Dog Bite).
Please let me know if you handle such cases, so I can send you more details.
Thanks
Regards,
Vicente Custodio
November 22, 2021 at 1:09 pm, EJ said:
Vicente Custodio
917 790 3572
contacted me today with the same dog bite scam
December 20, 2021 at 9:12 pm, Allan Dollison said:
So just like Mr. Allen Cohen (from April of this year), I received an E-Mail from Vicente Custodio. And that he works on a Japanese Oil Rig. I looked up Mr. Atkinson, and he does not exist in Fortuna, CA where is Used to have an office. I asked for more, He has yet to provide it. Of course the scenario is he explains that in effect he has settled with someone and they are getting their insurance company to pay. As any experienced lawyer, that is not how it works at all. You can’t settle the case and then turn it over to an insurance company to pay the bill. The settlement agreement is definitely not an insurance document. You can tell right away. Will be contacting him and let him know I am on to his scam and to stop bothering me, or I will sick the FBI on him!
January 21, 2022 at 10:37 am, Diane Shirley said:
Same scam, only a couple of words in the letter have been changed. My dude is Mr. Julio Alfonso who suffered gaping wounds from the bite of a vicious dog. His settlement offer is $185k with him paying $11.3k in out of pocket expenses.
He is currently at the rig…
February 14, 2022 at 5:57 pm, jason said:
Now trying this scam as “[email protected]” with same wording etc… NB – he forgot the ‘r’ in Ortega in his email…
June 06, 2022 at 7:53 pm, Dave Bosak said:
Same scam. I got James Schenell. It looks like the scammers tailor the scam to whatever jurisdiction one practices in. Be careful!
July 21, 2022 at 1:25 pm, Norman G Trask said:
The scam continues. As others have noted, many of us (personal injury attorneys) question the veracity of the claim, and further info (including photos, hospital and treatment locations) warrant at least a chance that it is legit. With more probing of the potential client, and defendant, it becomes clear that it is not on the up and up. My “client” is named Alessandro Sandor, defendant Billy Wager. I’m in northern Maine. Letter about injury nearly identical to above….
November 17, 2022 at 6:04 pm, Lauren Drake said:
Our firm received a variation of the same message, along with the terrible photos and a fake agreement signed between them and the “dog owner.”
Called the scammer and they answered, said they preferred to talk via email. Watch out!
Torres Rodriguez
[email protected]
(215) 798-0620
Dear Counsel ,
I will need your service in a personal injury case(Dog Bite).
Please let me know if you handle such cases, so I can send you more details.
Thanks
January 10, 2024 at 1:13 pm, Jayme Simpson said:
Here is the initial contact we received on 1/3/24:
Name: james arlington
Phone: 7253023448
Email: [email protected]
State: san diago
Zip: 921222
Contact By: Email
Message: DO U HANDLE DOG BITE CASE
Our intake team reached out to the PC on the phone. Both times he didn’t want to talk long, so he asked to email our team. PC emailed us the photo of the bite and the agreement. The photo was over the top and the agreement for a settlement of $150,000 was signed the day after the incident. The agreement had nuances that didn’t add up such as the incident occurring in San Diego, but the signature stated New Orleans the very next day. Both parties address where San Diego 2 doors down from each other, why they would then sign in New Orleans made no sense. The signatures also were scribbles that had no resemblance to the names they were purported to be.