Scammers impersonate criminal defense lawyer in scheme to defraud families of jailed people
“We do not solicit clients by calling families; that’s a red flag. Attorneys and public defenders will never cold call you or your family,” Kyle Ehlers, a lawyer who practices in the Puget Law Group’s Seattle office, told KMVU. “It’s disappointing to see our name used to exploit families during one of the hardest moments of their lives.” (Photo from Shutterstock)
Scammers are impersonating a partner and a criminal defense trial attorney at a Washington law firm in a scheme targeting families and loved ones of people booked into the Pierce County Jail in Washington.
KMVU has the story.
Since August, the Puget Law Group in Washington has received an increasing number of calls from family members contacted by someone claiming to be Kyle Ehlers, a lawyer who practices in firm’s Seattle office.
Based on information that the firm has collected, scammers keep track of the county jail’s public booking log. Within an hour of an arrest, the scammers then call family members, identifying themselves as Ehlers and promising to appear at the loved one’s bail hearing and securing release for $500 to $1,500.
“We do not solicit clients by calling families; that’s a red flag. Attorneys and public defenders will never cold call you or your family,” Ehlers told KMVU. “It’s disappointing to see our name used to exploit families during one of the hardest moments of their lives.”
The criminal defense and personal injury firm is encouraging people who need assistance with a criminal defense matter and think that they have been victimized by this scam to contact them.
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