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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


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Recent Fraud Warnings

Business loan fraud by Rebecca Schneider

Two Ontario lawyer have notified us that they’ve received an email from the purported Rebecca Schneider 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 other… Read More »

Categories: Business Loan Fraud

Business loan scam by Mathew Cornell

Lawyers in Ontario and Quebec and Alberta have notified us that they’ve received an email from the purported Mathew Cornell 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… Read More »

Categories: Business Loan Fraud


Debt collection scam by Jane Akira Wilson

Three Ontario lawyers have notified us that they’ve been contacted by the purported Jane Akira Wilson with regards to collecting on a loan. While in this case the loan was in the context of a personal relationship, the gist of the fraud of the same as the many business loan scams we’ve seen. For a… Read More »

Categories: Debt Collection Fraud


Telephone scam targeting home computer users

While not targeting lawyers specifically, you might wish to be aware of a scam currently taking place which involves receiving a phone call informing you that your computer is infected with a virus. The caller may claim to be from Microsoft or a software security company and will offer (in exchange for your credit card… Read More »

Categories:


Real estate bad cheque scam by Dah Sing Lei

Two Ontario lawyers have been contacted by the purported Dah Sing Lei with regards to what looks like a real estate bad cheque scam. As with scams of this type, it appears that this fraud is a set-up for a request to return real estate deal deposit monies paid with a bad cheque. For a… Read More »

Categories: Real Estate 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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