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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

Fraud report for January 2015

by FraudInfo

After a somewhat quiet December (127 emails and 12 new fraud alert posts), the pace increased in January. We received 187 emails from lawyers and posted on 18 new fraud attempts. 58% of the emails this month came from the U.S., 34% from Ontario, 8% from elsewhere in Canada and 8% from overseas. 16 of… Read More »

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Commercial equipment purchase scam using the names Erik De Haas and Boskalis Group

by FraudInfo

Firms in Ontario and Minnesota notified us that they received an email from the purported Erik De Haas of Boskalis Group looking to retain them with regards to making a large commercial purchase. This is a bad cheque scam that presents as legal matter requiring the assistance of a lawyer. In this scam lawyers will… Read More »

Categories: Equipment / Inventory Purchase 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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