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Lawyer Fraud — Don’t Be Fooled!

To help Ontario lawyers avoid malpractice claims, LAWPRO maintains a list of names used in frauds that target lawyers. These frauds masquerade as legitimate legal matters and they target lawyers in many areas of practice. They are usually built on the premise of the lawyer receiving a payment (e.g. a debt collection, a loan or equipment purchase), which comes in the form of a fake cheque or bank draft. The fraudster client then convinces the lawyer to disburse funds from his or her trust account. They can be very sophisticated and the documents provided can look like the documents you would get on a legitimate matter.

The Law Society of BC’s Lawyer Indemnity Fund also maintains a list of names associated with suspected frauds.

If you have been the target of a fraud, you are invited to report the details to us so that we may assist other lawyers avoid being victimized.

Have a fraud to report? See Report a Fraud.

Report a Fraud


Browse Fraud Categories

Recent Fraud Warnings

Commercial debt collection scam by George Burger of Alliance Machining Technologies Inc

Two Ontario lawyers received an email from the purported George Burger of Alliance Machining Technologies with regards to a commercial debt litigation scam. For examples of other names attached to this kind of fraud see our Confirmed Fraud Page. For an explanation of how this fraud works see our Fraud Fact Sheet. It appears that… Read More »

Categories: Debt Collection Fraud






Real estate bad cheque scam by Haru Hayate

Two Ontario lawyers have notified us that they’ve been asked to act on real estate transactions that look like an attempt at a bad cheque fraud. In both cases the fraudster (who claims to be out of the country) first contacted the local realtor, who did not detect the scam. For more information on how… Read More »

Categories: Real Estate Fraud

Debt collection scam by Michael Molden

Five lawyer in Ontario have notified us that they’ve received an email from the purported Michael Molden looking to retain them with regards to a breach of a business loan agreement. This is similar to other frauds of this kind we have seen. For a full description of how this fraud works and to see… Read More »

Categories: Debt Collection Fraud

Land Acknowledgement

The offices of LAWPRO are located on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, Anishnabeg, Chippewa, Haudenosaunee and Wendat peoples. Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit. LAWPRO respects and acknowledges the histories, languages, knowledge systems, and cultures of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit nations.

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