Scammers Hijack Accounts of Second Law Firm—Fish & Richardson
Fish & Richardson is warning that scammers have written phony checks on its accounts as part of a scheme to collect a “processing fee” from the recipients.
The firm’s chief marketing officer, Kelly Largey, told Texas Lawyer that about 25 people and 45 banks called the law firm about the checks, first mailed late last year. Fish & Richardson learned in October that someone had tried to cash another check, suggesting a new round of letters, she said. None of the checks were cashed, Largey said.
Those who called the firm described three different letters. In one, the recipient received a check for $3,830 and the promise of a future lump sum payment as long as the recipient paid an up-front processing fee. In the second, the recipient received a check for $2,870 and directions to spend all but a small portion on a mystery shopping assignment. In the third, the recipient received a check for $4,700 and a letter promising more “prize money” after payment of an up-front surcharge and processing fee.
Another law firm, the Fryer Law Firm in Atlanta, has described a similar scheme using its bank accounts. Office administrator Lisa Estes said the law firm had not lost any money in the scam, but those who received the checks sometimes forwarded money to the scammers before learning of the scheme. The banks then sought to recover the money from the check recipients.
“In several instances, the banks actually pursued criminal charges against their customers when they were unable to repay the money,” Estes told the ABA Journal.
