Tom Kane of Legal Marketing Blog felt compelled to warn of this, and so will I. Reid Trautz of Reid My Blog reports the scam as follows:
"This new scam is a version of the
You-Won-The-Sweepstakes-But-Need-to-Send-Us-Money-to-Claim-It
routine.
The victim receives a call from the scammer with the "good news" and is
given the law firm's website URL for the victim to confirm the lawyer's
identity. The web address--often like ABClaw.com--takes the victim to a
website that contains some legitimate information about the lawyer
and/or law firm, but the phone numbers and addresses are directed to
the scammer. (The site is, of course, built off-shore!) Even if the
victim is savvy and calls the state bar to confirm the lawyer's name
and good-standing, that won't prevent this fraud.
This type of scam is particularly nefarious because it uses much of the public's remaining trust of the legal system to hook the victim. The best thing real lawyers can do is to join together in an effort to educate the public about these scams. Adding information to client newsletters, law firm blogs and web sites is a good start. A note in each client's bill next month would be helpful too. Such efforts will help reduce further incidents, and also assure the public lawyers are doing their part to keep down Internet fraud. Further, state bars should look at additional safeguards to see if the public can be protected against scams when they contact the bar for information."
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