New lawyer email scam surfaces in New Zealand

New lawyer email scam surfaces in New Zealand

While most New Zealand lawyers have taken a break over the summer holiday period, email scammers are staying hard at work.

The New Zealand Law Society is warning lawyers about another email scam which is being sent to members of the legal profession.

The scam has also been reported in Canada and the United States and asks for legal assistance with a purported breach of a lease agreement. Names used for the prospective “client” include Kiyoshi Yukio and Nan Yhang and the email says that they are working for the NPI Lease Company Limited in Yokohama, Japan.

“We ask of your Services regarding a breach of lease that was duly guaranteed, involving us, and a customer of ours in your country,” the email states. “We secured the equipment required by them and leased it to them for an agreed period of time, but they have since fallen short of the executed agreement we have in place.”

If the scam follows the usual course, the lawyer involved will be sent a forged cheque from the alleged customer. The cheque – usually drawn on a reputable bank - is banked in the lawyer’s trust account and the “client” is sent the balance after deduction of the lawyer’s fee. Several days later the cheque bounces.

Another email scam targeting lawyers is still circulating. This asks the lawyer to act on behalf of a client to complete purchase of a house in New Zealand. Names used by the scammer for this include Peters Anderson, Steve Maughan, Anthony J Earl and Mike Garry. One version uses the greeting “Top of the day to you!”

The Law Society advises any lawyer who believes they may have received an email from a scammer to contact it or check the special scam on its my.lawsociety website (http://my.lawsociety.org.nz/). It also recommends that lawyers do not engage in correspondence with the scammers.

ENDS

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