A fraud alert that we first reported in January 2020 appears to be circulating once again, as evidenced by an recent alert from the Law Society of New Brunswick. In this scenario, 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 (often 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 original cheque is worthless.
Remember that you must always confirm a prospective client’s identification in accordance with the Client ID Regulations of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society.
Be vigilant with every request for services that you receive, not just those received via the Internet. Fraudulent requests for services can be made by mail and courier, as well as by individuals who arrive in person to retain you and to use your trust account to receive and disburse funds. Be cautious with all cheques received, especially if they exceed the agreed upon amount.
If you do decide to proceed with a transaction where the funds are received and are to be paid out within a short period, be sure to go to the bank website to verify branch transit number, address and phone number on the cheque. Wait until the bank confirms that the funds are legitimate and are safe to withdraw from the deposit. Where possible, use the Large Value Transfer System (LVTS), an electronic funds transfer system that allows large payments to be exchanged securely and immediately.
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.