Scam alert round up 15th February

Scam alert round up 15th February

Here are the most recent scam alerts issued by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

Emails claiming to be Julian Middleton of Freeths LLP

Members of the public have reported receiving emails about an inheritance claiming to be from Julian Middleton of Freeths LLP.

The SRA say the emails come from julianmiddletonfreeths@outlook.com, provide the phone numbers +44 703 193 6657 and +44 793 746 0382 and office 1 Heddon St, Mayfair, London, W1B 4BD.

The emails set out a set of actions required to pursue an inheritance claim. Whilst a Julian Middleton does work at Freeths LLP which has a registered address of 1 Heddon Street, neither the firm nor the individual say they are connected with the emails, and nor is the email address connected with the genuine Julian Middleton.

Emails claiming to be from “Hm revenue & custom”

The SRA say emails have been sent claiming to be from Emails claiming to be from “Hm revenue & custom” using the email address Paul.Whitehead@blplaw.com

The emails contains a PDF which the recipient is asked to fill out in order to receive a tax refund. However HMRC say they do not use texts or emails to inform individuals over tax rebates.

Whilst a genuine SRA authorised individual called Paul Whitehead does use the email address paul.whitehead@blplaw.com, neither him nor his employer Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP say they are connected to the emails.

What to do

When a firm’s or individual’s identity has been copied or cloned, due diligence is necessary. If you receive correspondence claiming to be from the above firms or individuals, or information of a similar nature to that described, you should conduct your own due diligence by checking the authenticity of the correspondence by contacting the law firm directly by reliable and established means.

You can contact the SRA to find out if individuals or firms are regulated and authorised by the SRA and verify an individual’s or firm’s practising details. Other verification methods, such as checking public records may be required in other circumstances.

Josh Morris

Josh is the Journalist for the Today's Group and writes many of the articles for Today's Conveyancer. He graduated with a degree in Physics from Cardiff University in 2009 before training as a journalist. He has previously written for The Times, The Mirror and The Daily Express.

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