Miscellaneous

Scam-I-Am

By Anne Skove, Esq.

Twinkies. Energizer batteries. True love.

Is there anything more enduring than the pigeon drop scam?

A similar scam was identified in Ohio, but it seems like it could be a national phenomenon. In this version, a lawyer receives an e-mail (no, not from a Nigerian VIP) regarding debt collection. Soon after, a check (bogus) arrives. The lawyer is supposed to pay the debt by wiring funds (real) to the creditor (phony), keeping a portion for his or her fee (a-HA! See where this is headed?) via IOLTA account.

Warnings have been posted by Arizona and other jurisdictions.

See IOLTA Scam Making Rounds in Ohio, Supreme Court of Ohio press release (August 17, 2009), and real-life case (because we often wonder if anyone is actually scammed by these things) Lawyers Warned to Be Wary of Client E-Mail Scams, Brenda Sapino Jeffreys, Texas Lawyer (January 26, 2009).

Full post as published by court-o-rama.org on August 20, 2009 (boomark / email).