inCase & Cyber Essentials
Security is of paramount importance to the team at inCase. We are proud to announce that we have been awarded the Cyber Essentials (CE) kitemark. We endeavour to continuously keep our users safe online and are working hard to achieve Cyber Essentials Plus over the next few weeks. What is Cyber Essentials? Cyber Essentials is […]
Agents are reminded to be wary of fraudulent conveyancing
Property fraud is one of the more lucrative ways a fraudster can earn large sums of money. In these increasingly busy times, the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority (SRA) have released a warning to agents about this type of crime. By carrying out property conveyancing work, residential property teams may be exposed to the risk of this […]
Banks often blame customers for fraud issues
The Financial Ombudsman Service has revealed that there is a 36% rise in complaints with regards to how banks dealt with fraud and scams when compared to 2019. Last year, many banks and financial institutions signed up to the voluntary code, which meant that they refunded victims of fraud, if the victim isn’t at fault. […]
Safeguards failed enabling fraudulent transfer
Please note this story was also published on Legal Futures. The safeguards a conveyancing firm had in place with their bank failed, enabling a fraudster to transfer money from the firm’s client account. The firm put the safeguard in place, detailing that client transactions could only be made if two authorized people from the firm […]
Digital Identity Group – Digital Identity Trust Framework for homes sales sector, releases project overview
Following on from the hugely success Digital Identity Group meeting in October, the project has released details of its plans to build a Digital Identity Trust Framework for the property sector. The project overview, which has been pulled together by Stuart Young of Edinburgh-based Etive Technologies, seeks to tackle the longstanding challenge of multiple identity […]
Lawyer Checker to Host Crucial Panel Discussion as Cybercrime Reaches New Heights
The Solicitors Regulation Authority have recently publicised their first thematic review investigating the impact of cybercrime. The review has highlighted a number of troublesome statistics making it definitively apparent that cyber related incidents leading to fraud remain one of the largest threats the legal sector faces. The SRA conducted the review by selecting a randomised […]
Who says crime does not pay? Stoffel and Co. v Grondona [2020] UKSC 42
Stoffel and Co. v Grondona [2020] UKSC 42 It has been interesting to see the progression of this case through the appeal process culminating in the decision of the Supreme Court on the 30th October 2020. I assumed when I read about the decision at first instance that it would be one of those decisions […]
Lawyer Checker Aim to Raise Christmas Spirits and Cyber-Security Awareness with Gift Hamper Giveaway
Earlier this week, the cyber-security thought leaders Lawyer Checker launched two exciting competitions each with an exclusive gift hamper up for grabs. The items within include state-of-the-art tech such as an iPad mini and Bluetooth headphones as well as other items suitable for any discerning practitioner in the legal sector. Lawyer Checker is hopeful that […]
Your clients can now complete electronic TR1 signing through the inCase app
Our inCase team are exciting to launch a groundbreaking feature, Electronic TR1 Signing. We know this additional feature will make the conveyancing process so much easier for law firms and their clients. Explore our step-by-step process: When accessing TR1 documents, clients will be prompted to: Confirm the presence of their witness Authenticate through a One-Time-Passcode […]
UWO: £10m worth of property ‘given up’
A Leeds businessman had to surrender apartments and homes valued at almost £10m to the National Crime Agency (NCA) as part of an Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO). It is believed that Mansoor ‘Manni’ Mahmood Hussain, 40, a suspected money-launderer acted for numerous criminals including gangsters, murderers and a drug traffickers. Posing as a legitimate businessman […]
Mortgage Fraud Allowed To Prevail On Conveyancer’s Watch
Stephen Michael Oakley, was convicted of multiple money laundering offences in 2018, and hasn’t practised in the profession since 2011. He has now agreed that he should be struck off the solicitor roll after allowing mortgage fraud to take place on his watch. A client instructed Oakley to act as their conveyancer. It transpires that […]
Conveyancers Are Line Of Defence Against Fraudsters
The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t hampered the work of criminals who have used the virus as an excuse to adapt their methods and step up their activity, as they attempt to defraud people out of their hard-earned cash. In these tough times of recession, and people experiencing financial worries and redundancy, they are seemingly easy prey […]
Furlough Fraud – What Firms Need To Know
Written by Amy Bell, Director at Teal Compliance Limited The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), more commonly known as the furlough scheme, was introduced by the government as a means of helping both businesses and employees to survive lockdown. Essentially it allows employers to keep employees on the payroll but to place them on leave, […]
Cyber Security Reminder From SRA
Last week the Solicitor’s Regulation Authority (SRA) issued their cyber crime thematic review, and reminded law firms that now more than ever was a time to remain cyber secure. The review focuses on 40 separate incidents of cyber crime reported between 2016-2019, with over £4million pocketed by criminals. With more firms now working remotely as […]
Scammers Utilising EWS1 Forms
Criminals are duping leaseholders in multiple apartment buildings across the country into paying them thousands of pounds by faking External Wall Fire Reviews (EWS1) forms. The cladding used in apartment buildings is a troublesome subject for the government, who have tried to improve fire safety in the buildings since the tragedy that occurred in Grenfell […]
Covid-19 Is Changing Criminal Behaviours
Are your conveyancing team up to speed with the frauds that you might inadvertently get caught up in? The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) which describes itself as the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, including organisations like Interpol etc, have recently held a series of webinars which might help shed some light on […]
AML Failings Result In Solicitor Suspension
Natalia Levinzon has been suspended for nine months by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal after failing to implement anti-money-laundering safeguards in regards to property transactions she was conducting for a clients in Russia and the Ukraine. During the investigation, Ms Levinzon revealed to the investigators that the firm – Dobrovinsky & Partners LLP (now closed) – […]
SDLT Fraud Results In Solicitor Being Struck Off
Munpreet Singh Virdee falsified returns he sent to Her Majesty Revenue & Customs (HMRC) regarding the amount of stamp duty land tax (SDLT) paid on transactions, so he could pocket the difference has since been struck off by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal. He fraudulently obtained the money in a bid to keep his struggling law […]
Covid-19 Hasn’t Sent Cyber Criminals In To Hibernation
Whilst many of us have been getting to grips with the various phases of the government’s plans to lockdown and subsequently return the country to normal, it’s safe to say that cyber criminals haven’t been resting on their laurels. It has become apparent since lockdown that there has been a rise in law firms falling […]
Legal Assistant Banned For Dishonesty
A legal assistant has been banned from working in the legal profession, after it emerged he lied about passing his exams. Benjamin Lewis Clark wanted his law firm to pay for the course fees due to having financial problems. But when his dishonesty was discovered, Mr Clark agreed with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to […]
