A new variation on the bad cheque scam has been circulating of late, where lawyers are asked to represent a client in a medical expense insurance settlement matter involving a dog bite. There are several variations of names and details in these emails, and some are accompanied by dog bite photos (copied from the internet). One example of the wording is as follows:
From: Rick Ferguson
Sent: December 6, 2019 18:14 PM
Subject: Dog Bite Case
Dear Counsel ,
I will need your service in a personal injury case(Dog Bite).
Please let me know if you handle such cases, so I can send you more details.
Regards,
Rick Ferguson
Ultimately the scammers are looking to have the lawyer wire transfer funds from their trust account after having deposited a bogus cheque in an amount exceeding the originally agreed-upon amount. As with all bad cheque scams, the goal is to have the “excess” money transferred before the lawyer and their financial institution realize that the entire original cheque is worthless.
For tips to avoid being victimized, visit the Fraud section on lians.ca. To report or seek advice on dealing with fraud and scam attempts, contact Cynthia Nield at cnield@lians.ca or 902 423 1300, x346.
