Fraud Prevention
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre Bulletin: Money Mule Awareness
The following is the text of a bulletin from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Increasingly, fraud networks are recruiting unsuspecting fraud victims to receive and transfer money from other victims. When this happens, the victim becomes a money mule. What is a Money Mule? A money mule is an individual who is recruited by fraudsters to… Read More »
Categories: Fraud PreventionFirm websites being impersonated by fraudsters
LAWPRO has heard from a number of Ontario lawyers that their firm websites have been copied by fraudsters to further their schemes, such as the “inheritance from a long-lost relative” scam or immigration scams overseas. While we have seen these impersonation scams for over a year now, there seems to be another spike lately, perhaps… Read More »
Categories: Fraud PreventionMAZE ransomware warning from the Law Society of Manitoba
The following ransomware warning was published by the Law Society of Manitoba on April 9, 2020. Ontario lawyers should also be aware and share this with their staff. In the past two weeks, two Manitoba firms have called us at The Law Society of Manitoba to say they been hit by viruses – not Covid-19,… Read More »
Categories: Fraud PreventionMore examples of cyber criminals taking advantage of Covid-19 disruption
Cyber criminals are constantly updating their methods to take advantage of current events, and the disruption caused by Covid 19 and many people now working remotely has provided them with a new opportunities, as explained in Beware of cybersecurity risks during COVID-19 and working from home. This CBC News article Email, text message attacks surge… Read More »
Categories: Fraud PreventionRemote communication and fraud risks in real estate
In the context of COVID-19, lawyers are often unable to meet in person with their clients. The Law Society of Ontario has temporarily authorized remote verification of client identity and permitted remote commissioning of documents. This information can be found in this FAQ. Remote meetings and remote signing introduce additional fraud risks. Lawyers need to… Read More »
Categories: Real Estate, Fraud PreventionBeware of cybersecurity risks during COVID-19 and working from home
This post is adapted from a message from Gowling WLG to their lawyers and staff written by Steve Lundy, which they have graciously offered to share with AvoidaClaim readers. As professionals and staff adopt the recently implemented remote working arrangement to reduce the risk associated with COVID-19, it is important to understand that this increases… Read More »
Categories: Fraud PreventionNew 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… Read More »
Categories: Fraud PreventionFraud for Shelter Update
With housing prices on the rise, more rigorous mortgage rules, and the resulting difficulty for some Ontarians to purchase property, real estate lawyers should be mindful of fraud for shelter. Fraud for shelter differs from traditional real estate frauds. Usually in a real estate fraud, the goal is to fraudulently sell the property or to… Read More »
Categories: Real Estate, Fraud Prevention