Greater Manchester Police respond to recent fraud case
The arresting officer of a recent property fraud case stresses the responsibility of property professionals to perform thorough ID checks.
Conveyancing Association launch updated version of Cyberfraud & Fraud Protocol
The Conveyancing Association (CA), the leading trade body for the conveyancing industry, has today (20th December 2016) launched the latest version of its Cyberfraud and Fraud Protocol which seeks to provide CA member firms with practical information on how criminals operate and the measures they, and their staff, can take to avoid being victims of […]
Why you should protect your clients
Scams involving payments being sent to fraudsters during the conveyancing process have once again been highlighted as an issue that needs tackling.
How to prepare to defend your law firm’s reputation in the event of a cyber attack
With cyber-crime making the headlines more and more frequently, it is becoming increasingly important that law firms of all sizes understand how to handle such a situation professionally and keep their reputation intact. Here are some steps any law firm can take to help ensure that a cyber-attack or data breach doesn’t cost them their […]
Land Registry Christmas opening hours
Land Registry have published their opening hours for over the holiday period
Land Registry fraud alert service joined by 50,000
Land Registry’s Property Alert service has now been signed up to by over 50,000 people.
Conveyancing theft reported as biggest cybercrime problem for law firms
Figures published today by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) have shown that email hacks of conveyancing transactions are the most common cybercrime in the legal sector, with £7 million of client losses reported in the last year. Three-quarters of cybercrimes reported to the SRA in the 12 months are some form of “Friday afternoon” fraud. […]
Warning: new email scam alert
Most solicitors and conveyancers are aware of the potential frauds and scams they and their clients can get caught up in if they are not constantly vigilant. Emails can be monitored and virtually duplicated in order to divert deposit and or completion funds to bogus accounts. Passports (and other documents) can be obtained or forged […]
£500k property fraudster faces 14 months
Following the case which occurred last month, a third member of a gang responsible for the Stockport property fraud operation was sentenced last Wednesday. The victim of the fraud has described his shock of seeing his £500,000 home for sale on Rightmove. Police later found that, by stealing letters delivered to his address, two men […]
Lawyer Checker – Winners of Best Anti-Fraud Award 2017
Last night saw a gathering of winners and highly commended businesses at the 16th annual Mortgage Finance Gazette Awards.
Solicitor who falsified QC’s opinion and bank statements struck off
A solicitor who took hundreds of thousands of pounds of clients’ money has been struck off.
Solicitor faces fine over £2m SDLT avoidance scheme
A rebuke from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has been accepted by a solicitor involved in conveyancing transactions that resulted in the non-payment of £2 million in stamp duty (SDLT). Kelly Buckle-Fleming was a former director at the now closed Dixon Law in Leeds, which had acted in some 47 transactions over a two-and-a-half-year period […]
Should Right to Buy fraud concerns lead to end of scheme UK-wide?
According to reports, around 16% of council homes sold by ten local authorities under the Right to Buy (RTB) scheme, have been to tenants on housing benefit.
Fraudsters who stole property owners’ identities face jail
A fraudster attempting to steal a £500,000 home by hijacking the owner’s identity through transfer of property deeds, faces jail.
Former solicitor and fraudster faces another five years in jail
Having been found guilty of numerous fraud offences, former solicitor Ian Macfarlane has been ordered to pay £18,000 of court fees and has been jailed for a second time.
Trio of solicitors struck off after fraudsters infiltrate firm
A firm costing the compensation fund almost £3 million through their handling of conveyancing transactions have had three of their solicitors struck off.
Breaking consumer warnings of property fraud
The latest episode of Rip Off Britain aired live on BBC this morning (12 October 2016) sheds fresh light to consumers on email scams within property transactions.
Victims of the Friday fraudster – where does the liability lie now?
P&P Property Ltd v (1) Owen White &Catlin (2) Crown Vent Ltd t/a Winkworth [2016]
Phishing scam alert
Land Registry have sent out a warning regarding recent email scams received by their customers.
Sole practitioners are leaving themselves more exposed to risk of identity theft
With another case of a solicitor being suspended for failing to carry out money laundering checks, SearchFlow, property intelligence specialists, reveals that sole practitioners are much more exposed to the risk of identity theft, as they fail to carry out electronic money laundering checks. SearchFlow’s latest research on ordering of electronic AMLs reveals that only […]
