Fraud Prevention
RECO issues public advisory regarding John Van Dyk
The Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) is warning members of the public not to engage in real estate transactions with John Van Dyk, of Chatham, Ontario. Neither he nor his company J. Van Dyk Realty Inc. are registered to trade in real estate. In order to trade in real estate in Ontario, salespersons and… Read More »
Categories: Fraud PreventionRecent increase in spear phishing emails targeting Ontario firms
LAWPRO is seeing an increase in spear fishing email frauds targeting lawyers and law firms. The spearfishing messages we are seeing are very sophisticated. They include information personalized for the firm. Spear fishing messages are created to appear that they are from senior partners or management and they are being sent to senior financial staff…. Read More »
Categories: Fraud Prevention“Retainer deposit” phishing emails target firms with a PDF containing a link to malware
A number of Ontario firms have reported receiving emails from an overseas firm advising that a retainer deposit has been made, which includes a pdf document that supposedly contains the payment details. In fact the pdf has a link built into it that will likely instal malware on the computer of the person who clicks… Read More »
Categories: Fraud PreventionOntario lawyers target of fake Ministry of Government and Consumer Services Complaint
An Ontario lawyer has reported to us that he received a “business complaint” that is purportedly from the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services. While the email address displayed as the sender says “Ministry of Government and Consumer Service”, the email is actually from [email protected]. This is clearly not an Ontario government email address. And… Read More »
Categories: Fraud Prevention20 Red Flags of Bad Cheque Fraud You Should Recognize
Lawyers in all areas of practice continue to be the frequent targets of bad cheque scams. These scams involve debt collections, business loans, IP licensing disputes or spousal support payments. While it appears Ontario lawyers are increasingly aware of these frauds, occasionally some are being duped into disbursing funds on a bad cheque they have… Read More »
Categories: Fraud PreventionDon’t take the bait on a spear phishing scam
By now, most lawyers are familiar with phishing attacks. For those who are not, phishing is the attempt to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an email. They take the form of a message, allegedly from your bank or an online retailer you… Read More »
Categories: Fraud Prevention, TechnologyManaging risk: Who pays for crime?
One of the questions we often get asked at LAWPRO is why certain areas of claims don’t get the full $1 million per claim amount of coverage. For example, think of how the LawPRO policy treats counterfeit certified cheques causing an overdraft, cybercrime, and intentional misbehaviour within the real estate registration system – these coverages… Read More »
Categories: Legal Technology, Technology, Fraud PreventionHow to recognize your computer is infected with malware
Ideally you have one or more types of properly updated anti-malware software running on your computers and networks. And hopefully that software detects and prevents any malware infections from occurring. However, because anti-malware software may not detect an infection, watch for the symptoms that can indicate a computer is infected with malware. These include: It… Read More »
Categories: Fraud Prevention, Technology