Over thirty lawyers in Ontario and the US have told us they’ve received emails from the purported Leo Esaki or Lee Hang of Akita Patent Law Office 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… Read More »
Categories: Debt Collection FraudLawyer 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.
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Recent Fraud Warnings
Business debt collection scam by Patricia Zimmerman
Lawyers in Ontario and the US have notified us that they’ve received an email from the purported Patricia Zimmerman 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… Read More »
Categories: Debt Collection FraudCollaborative family law agreement scam by Miyoko Kwema
Two Ontario lawyers have notified us that they have been contacted by the purported Miyoko Kwema with regards to a collaborative family law agreement dispute. This is a fraud we have seen before under several other names and similar scenarios. For details on how this fraud works and a full list of names attached to… Read More »
Categories: Divorce Settlement FraudDivorce settlement agreement scam by Theresa Hartman
Three Ontario lawyers have notified us that they have been contacted by the purported Theresa Hartman with regards to a collaborative family law agreement dispute. This is a fraud we have seen before under several other names and similar scenarios. For details on how this fraud works and a full list of names attached to… Read More »
Categories: Divorce Settlement FraudReal estate bad cheque scam by Ellis Wayne
Two real estate agents in the U.S. tell us they’ve been contacted by the purported Ellis Wayne with regards to what looks like a real estate bad cheque scam. For details of how this scam works and other names attached to it see our Confirmed Fraud page. Here is the email along with a fake… Read More »
Categories: Real Estate FraudDebt collection scam by Gavin Pykerman of Claremore Mechanical Services Ltd
A lawyer in the Northwest Territories and two in the US have received emails from the purported Gavin Pykerman with regards to a commercial debt litigation scam. This is similar to other commercial debt collection scams we have seen that use a real company, and even real employee names pulled from the company website, but… Read More »
Categories: Debt Collection FraudLoan debt collection scam by Vanessa Adone
A dozen Ontario lawyers have notified us that they have been contacted by the purported Vanessa Adone with regards to a collaborative family law agreement dispute. This is a fraud we have seen before under several other names and similar scenarios. For details on how this fraud works and a full list of names attached… Read More »
Categories: Debt Collection FraudDebt collection scam by Toru Hashimoto
An Ontario lawyer has notified us that they’ve received two emails from the purported Toru Hashimoto looking to retain them with regards to a collection matter. The introductory email would seem to be a setup for a scam similar to other debt collection frauds we have seen. For a full description of how this fraud… Read More »
Categories: Debt Collection Fraud