On Monday of last week I was contacted by two Bold Legal Group (BLG) members. They both had the same problem.
An email had been received, purportedly from a bank (I won’t name the bank in order to save its blushes) saying:
“We are currently reviewing our Panel Solicitors Bank Account details and would be pleased to receive confirmation of your Account details for the release of monies to you.
Please confirm your firm’s Account details at your earliest convenience, to enable us to confirm that our current records are correct.
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Regards
CXXXXXXX BXXXXX”
It had the look and feel of a genuine email but both BLG members said similar things:
“My IT adviser says that this comes from a very dodgy source so do not reply!”
Rather than dismiss the email altogether I carried out some investigation, via LinkedIn and another BLG member. It turns out that, despite the sensitive nature of the request for information, the email was genuine.
I made email contact with the signatory and received the following reply:
"Further to your email to my colleague XXXXX.
XXXXX Bank have recently launched a new Lending system and now require Solicitor firms Bank Account details prior to sending out the Banks formal instructions.
I understand this may have caused come concerns but the request was for a legitimate reason.
I am happy to write a formal letter requesting the account details, please confirm what format would be appropriate and I will arrange.
Kind Regards,
CXXXXXX BXXXXX"
The moral of the story? Remain constantly vigilant and don’t follow links or open documents unless you are certain of the source, because there are many fraudulent emails being sent out. However, don’t assume ever email is fraudulent or “dodgy” because sometimes the most bizarre request can come from the most genuine of sources!
The bank signatory even through in this comment:
“Good to see data protection is being taken seriously.”
Rob Hailstone 07817 630714
Bold Legal Group
