New Scam Involving Lawyers’ Identities
The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced a new scam on September 14, 2012. The most recent scam involves the name of a Texas attorney that has not practiced for a number of years. Her maiden name, previous office address, and even parts of her professional biography were used to form a fake law firm website.
The FBI has heard complaints from practicing attorneys about the use of their name and other professional information in order to falsely advertise legal work.
The FBI encourages all attorneys to look out for this scam. If you believe your name or the name of your firm is being used in a similar way, you need to report the incident to local law enforcement, the bar association in your state, and the FBI Internet Crime Complaint center.
The FBI also encourages attorneys to check their credit report and bank accounts to make sure their identity is safe and has not been stolen. If you believe you’ve been a victim of a scam or attempted scam, you need to file a complaint at the following link immediately: http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx.
You need to include the following information in the complaint:
· name
· mailing address
· telephone number
· name of the business or person who committed fraud
· address of the person or business that committed fraud
· telephone number of the person or business that committed fraud
· website and email of the person or business that committed fraud
· explanation of how you were defrauded
· any other relevant information
The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) will review the complaint and contact the appropriate authorities on the federal, state, local, and even international level. Once the complaint is forwarded to an agency, the case is assigned to an investigator.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation
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