The front page article in the most recent issue of Minnesota Lawyer tells the shocking account of a Rochester law firm who received an email from a woman seeking legal help with collecting on a promissory note she had. The firm agreed to take the case upon receipt of a $5000 retainer fee from the woman. The woman complied, and three days later a check for $110,000 from a third person and payable to the firm arrived in the mail. The firm deposited the check, and the woman asked for the money. The firm wired the money to her per her request to a bank in Japan. When the firm received another email from the woman identical to her first request for help, it suspected something was amiss. It was soon confirmed that the large check and the retainer check were both counterfeit. The details of the story are numerous – read the story here.
Unfortunately, numerous law firms in Minnesota have been victims of such check scams, according to the Minnesota Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility (OLPR). Adding insult to injury, some victimized lawyers have been privately disciplined as well. What advice does Martin Cole from the OLPR have for lawyers not wanting to get burned this way? “If you wait until the check has cleared, you don’t have anything to worry about.” Probably good advice, considering that these scammers typically depend on speed to carry out their heists.
