I have heard from a number of attorneys that scam artists are targeting lawyers claiming to need legal help. I have decided to posts these email messages here in case other attorneys receive them and wonder whether they are legitimate. There may be similar scams preying on other professions and businesses.

How Does the Scam Work?

The scam begins by the purported client contacting the attorney or law firm, asking for representation, signing a retainer agreement, and providing evidence of the legal issue. Then, the purported client notifies the lawyer that the matter has been resolved and a check is being sent from the opposing party to the law firm. The purported client tells the attorney to deduct from the payment the law firm’s legal fees and wire the rest to the client. After the firm wires the money to the client, the firm’s bank notifies the firm that the payment was fraudulent (for example, a fake cashier’s check). Unfortunately, the firm has already wired the money and wired funds cannot be recovered.

What You Should Know About the Scam

First, it is worth noting that the people named below are generally not real people. They are aliases developed by scam artists.

Second, the aliases are often very developed, including websites, business listings in directories, and in one case, what appeared to be a Dunn & Bradstreet profile. While your purported client may be false, the purported defendant is often a real company.

In one case, I spoke with a purported defendant who said attorneys around the country had been contacting him. Needless to say, a lot of people were wasting a lot of time on the scam. I have heard of at least one attorney falling victim to this scam.

How You Can Help Stop this Scam

If you receive other scam emails, please add them in the comments section below. Fortunately, some attorneys will be cautious and will search online for the names included in the email before engaging in the fraud. This web page will be a growing list of these fraudulent emails.

Also, if you have received one of these emails, please add a comment regarding the date and your general location, so we can track the activities of these scam artists.

Other Sites with Attorney Scams

Since I started posting scams here, I have encountered other attorney blogs with related scams (and some of the scams I have received). Rather than posting scams I receive here that are already online, I will be listing the sites where I found the scam posted.

Examples of Scam Emails

Without further ado, here are samples of the emails I have received:

Steve Larson:

From: Steven Larsen <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, Jun 1, 2011 at 3:41 PM
Subject: I need a commercial litigation lawyer
To:

I need a commercial litigation lawyer to handle a collection matter, I
will also need a referral if this is not your line of practice. Thank you
as I look forward to your response soonest.

Sincerely,
Larsen.

——

From: Steven Larsen <[email protected]>
Date: Thu, Jun 9, 2011 at 4:24 PM
Subject: RE: I need a commercial litigation lawyer
To: ahall.

Thanks for your reply. I represent Steven Lawson Tex Co Ltd based in United Kingdom. We got your contact information from the online Lawyers Directory as a result of our search for reliable firm to provide legal services as requested.

We request your representation to counsel us in litigation and enable us collect a debt owed to us in the amount of $900,000.00USD by a delinquent seller in your jurisdiction. We are of the opinion that once our presence is established in your state via a legal representative, our seller will have no option but comply with payment request and accompanied with legal action and litigation will push for the accounts to be paid to effectively.

We believe that a normal scenario will require a phone call or demand letter from you to our seller if your services is retained and litigation should be applied as a last resort.

We understand the concept of running a conflict check that is why we are providing our delinquent seller located in your state for your conflict check and to enable you present to us your retainer agreement for your services.

Falconer’s Cleaners & Laundry,
1229 E Lake Street
Minneapolis, MN 55407-1620

We will like to have a telephone conference with you on this issue as to let you know further details of this transaction.

We happened to have place an order of Machinery Equipment worth $1,800,000.00, and they demanded we pay 50 percent of the funds before delivering our products. Payment to the seller was made in January of 2011 and our calculation shows that delivery is above three Months late, for the regular purchase agreement requires seller to effect goods not later than 60 days upon payment or legal action may be enforced if delivery delay exceeds 90 days.

It will be very helpful if we receive your retainer agreement for review. This will enable our board decide on the conditions of the retainer in our next board meeting. Also once we have reviewed your agreement I will forward you supporting documents i.e., proof of payment, sales invoice, wire transfer slip. This will enable your firm start working on this case. I will also call you to follow up on this matter once your firm has agreed to take on this case.

We thank you for your business as we look forward to your prompt response.

Sincerely,
Steven Larsen.
President
Larsen Fabrics Limited
19-23 Grosvenor Hill,
London W1K 3QD
Tel:+447045706686
Fax:+448447747720

Kevin Brady:

From: Kevin Brady <[email protected]>
Date: Thu, Oct 21, 2010 at 3:23 PM
Subject: CASE DETAILS
To: Aaron Hall

Dear counsel,

Thank you for your earnest response. Let me start by introducing the company I represent. Channel Electronics and Security Limited are acknowledged security and electrical experts throughout United Kingdom, it’s authorized to cooperate with foreign individuals and partners for a comprehensive range of security solutions for domestic and commercial premises in the European regions and other parts of the world. We export and Import some of our products in North America and Europe.

We request your representation to counsel us in litigation and enable us collect a debt owed to us by a delinquent seller. We do appreciate your time in reviewing our request and we will do everything possible to insure a smooth and hitch free business relationship. We are ready to work with you to achieve our goal as the importance of your services cannot be over emphasized.

We are of the opinion that once our presence is established in your state via a legal representative our seller will have no option but comply with payment request and accompanied with legal action and litigation will push for the accounts to be paid attention to effectively.

We believe that a normal scenario will require a phone call or demand letter from you to our seller if your services is retained. Although we believed that litigation should be applied as a last resort as we intend to preserve the relationship we have with our seller. Though we do hope not to resort to litigation unless all other options are exhausted but we will like the comfort of knowing that the option is available and letting our seller know that litigation may be enforced if the option becomes necessary.

We understand the concept of running a conflict check that is why we are providing our delinquent seller located in your state for your conflict check and to enable you present to us your retainer agreement for your services.

Allied Electronics Inc,

6120 EARLE BROWN DR

BROOKLYN CENTER , MN 55430.

This particular seller owes approx. $950,720.00 and the delivery is overdue as our regular purchase agreement requires seller to effect goods not later than 60 days upon payment or legal action may be enforced if delivery delay exceeds 90 days. We happened to have placed an order of enclosures, racks and cabinet materials worth $1,901,440.00, and they demanded we pay 50 percent of the funds before delivering our products. Payment for this seller was made in 10th February of 2010 and our calculation shows that delivery is a Months late.

It will be very helpful if we receive your standard retainer agreement. This will enable our board decide on the conditions of the retainer in our next board meeting. Also once we have reviewed your agreement I will forward you supporting documents i.e., proof of payment, sales invoice, so your firm can start working on this case. It’s not my company policy to give out documents when we have not agreed on retaining your firm.

We thank you for your business as we look forward to your prompt response.

Sincerely,

Mr Kevin Brady
Business Executive
Channel Electronics and Security Ltd
23 Avon Riverside Est, Victoria Road
Avonmouth Bristol BS11 9DB
Land Tel-+44 7526305058
Mobile-+4470457526952,+447045733570
Fax-+441173376725
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.ceasltd.co.uk

 

Howard Fox:

Howard Fox
[email protected]

Hello,

My name is Howard fox and I am inquiring about the availability of your firm in the civil litigation of a default loan agreement. Please let me know if this is an issue your firm can handle.

Sincerely
Howard Fox

Robert Brooks:

Dear Counsel,

In regards to your mail, below is the contact email of Mr Brooks.

Mr Robert Brooks.
Email-([email protected])
Tel-9172100194.

Please send me the engagement letter so that we can proceed with this issue with Mr Brooks and attach is the payment slip of the payment made to Mr Brooks.
Howard Fox
Director
Bristol medical equipment ltd
20 surrey close,Granby industrial estate,
weymouth, dorset, dty 7ty Uk
www.bristolmediequip.co.uk

Owen Reid:

Mr.Owen Reid
[email protected]
+447024077495
I need a business litigation lawyer to handle our collection matter.

Mr. Owen Reid

Johnson Smith:

Johnson Smith
[email protected]

Dear Counsel,

I need a business litigation lawyer to handle
collection matters, do get back to me for details.

Johnson Smith

Naomi Dyer:

From: Naomi Dyer [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, December 08, 2009 10:36 AM
Subject: Re:Legal Representative

Hi Counsel,

My name is Naomi Jean Dyer. I am contacting your firm in regards to a divorce settlement with my ex-husband (Ashak R.Dyer) who resides in your jurisdiction. I am currently on assignment in Asia. We had an out of court agreement (Collaborative Law Agreement) for him to pay $848,900.00 plus legal fees. He has only paid me $184,000.00

I am hereby seeking your firm to assist in collecting the balance from
him. He has already agreed to pay me the balance but it is my belief that a Law firm like yours is needed to help handle the collection process from my ex or litigate this matter if he fails to pay as promised.

Sincerely,

Naomi Jean Dyer

On Thu, Dec 10, 2009 at 4:40 AM, Naomi Dyer <[email protected]> wrote:

Attention: Aaron Hall

I tried calling a couple of times and with the time difference (+16 hrs EST) it is difficult to gauge the best time to reach you.

We agreed under this Collaborative Law Agreement for a one time cash settlement of $848,900.00. To his credit, he has paid me $184,000.00 but still owing $664,900, He is aware of my intention to seek legal actions.

I want you to act as my attorney in the collection of this payment from Ashak Rustom Chipman. You are to represent me in connection with any matter with the resolution of the settlement expressed in the collaborative law agreement reached. I understand that if my ex-husband does not voluntarily pay, it may be necessary to file a legal proceeding against him.

The lawyer that helped me with the matter earlier is retired now and based in Ireland, find contact details below for reference.

Sanzone Randolph
Address: 96 Seamount St Helens Blackrock Co. Dublin
Tel: 00353 877 537 550

My Ex-Husband want to have a record showing that he has paid the balance to me.

I will be pleased to provide further information on this matter on request. I expect this to be a non-litigation matter. I have just advised him of my intention on retaining your firm. This was an out of Court agreement, therefore I never dealt in front of Court for divorce. This agreement is private and never approved by a Judge.

I am having troubles attaching my agreement files, could you provide me with a fax line and give details on retainer procedure.

Sincerely,

Naomi Jean Dyer
179 Prince Edward Road West,
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel: +852-8125-4852
Fax: +852-3015-1820

Jenifer Kama:

On Tue, Feb 1, 2011 at 6:57 AM, <[email protected]> wrote:

Dear in-Christ,

I am contacting you to let you know my desire to establish a charity foundation in your country with this sum $5.500.000 (five Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars) which I inherited from my late husband (Proffessor Kingsley Kama) It is my desire to see that this money is invested to any business / organization of your choice in your country and distributed each year among the charity organizations, motherless baby’s home, mosques, churches, Schools, supporting destitute aged men and women or whatever you may have in mind that will be to the benefit of the less fortunate.

I took this decision because I am presently hospitalized here in (Benin Republic ) where I am undergoing treatment for my up coming breast cancer surgery operation and alternative treatment for my cerebrovascular disease (stroke).

As you may wish to know there are no risks involved in this whole transaction, I therefore look forward to your early reply so that I will give you all the relevant information that will authorise the release and transfer of the said fund across to you as my duly assigned representative.

Thanking you in advance for your consideration,

Mrs.Mrs.Jenifer Kama,
NO: 7485 Chime _ Avenue
City: Cotonu
Benin Republic,
Off Douglas Dagogo Jack crescents,
G .R.A, Cotonu,
E-mail: ( [email protected] )

From,
Mrs.Jenifer Kama.

Envoyé depuis SFR Mail. 10 Go de stockage – en savoir plus.

GDL Exploration Inc. and Daniel Fish:

Hello Frank,

Thank you for getting back to us regarding my potential legal representation request. We solicit your assistance in drafting a commercial lease agreement between my company and Gwaltney Drilling Inc which is located in your state of practice. We are negotiating the terms for a lease agreement for their upcoming contract in the third quarter of the year. They are looking at the possibility of leasing a Light Well Intervention Equipment from my company for a 12 month duration.

We will require your services for these:

Draft the lease agreement,

Review the required documents for the lease

We will handle negotiations. We may need your advice on the legal part if the need arises.

The total value of the transaction will be around US$3M which will be handled by my company. We were hoping to kick this off by the fourth week of September 2023, but due to covid protocols and precautions, we are uncertain about the closing date.

Kindly send me a retainer agreement based on your hourly rate; I believe you will not exceed 20 hours on the whole project. My calendar is looking tied, we can schedule to discuss after I have reviewed your retainer agreement, and once we are set to have you start drafting the lease.

Lessee Conflict:
Gwaltney Drilling Inc
107 SE 3rd St,
Washington, IN 47501

I look forward to hearing from you and working with you on this project. Let me know if you have any questions.

Regards,

Daniel Fish
Vice President
GDL Exploration Inc.
7716 Melrose Lane,
Oklahoma City, OK 73127
P: (405) 289-7541
E: [email protected]
W: https://gdlexploration.com

GDL Exploration Inc. and Brian Walker:

Hello Frank,

Thank you for taking time to accept us as a new client. Find attached the signed retainer agreement.

This email is to notify you that we are ready to retain your firm for the following services:

Draft Lease agreement
Amend lease agreement if the need arises
Review of supporting documents for the lease
Holding of offer deposit for the lease

Per your direction on your retainer agreement, please confirm your check payment details and preferable mailing address that is convenient to receive mails by courier.

I spoke with the broker for the lessee about the next steps. I will need to see an offer letter which should outline their preferred terms and procedure of the lease. I need to be sure we have a serious deal on ground before we start working on the lease agreement.

They will be sending you a copy of the LOI and a holding deposit which will be issued to your client trust account since you will be the attorney overseeing the transaction. A holding commitment deposit of at least a $100,000 and a Letter of Intent are part of our requirements from a customer to avoid us from listening to other potential offers.

The holding deposit will include your first month retainer fees, which the broker has agreed to pay on our behalf as a sign of commitment to their offer. Any further retainer due will be paid by my company once we have secured the lease contract with the potential tenant after the offer have been accepted. They have asked me to give them until next week to put their finances and offer documents together, let’s keep our fingers crossed and see if they are serious.

Do not hesitate to let me know if you wish to discuss any of this matter.

I look forward to your response.

Regards,

Brian Walker
Vice President
GDL Exploration Inc.
7716 Melrose Lane,
Oklahoma City, OK 73127
P: (405) 289-7541
E: [email protected]
W: https://gdlexploration.com