Fraud
Can I see some ID? Verifying identity when the client is abroad
Receiving or transferring funds at the direction of a new or mysterious client carries serious risks. For real estate lawyers, these risks may arise regularly. If a lawyer is not careful, their trust account can become a vehicle for money laundering, fraud, and other nefarious activities by malicious clients and third parties. Sometimes it is… Read More »
Categories: Fraud, Real Estate, TitlePLUSCheck your cheques: Five ways to spot fraudulent cheques
We have often written about the risk that lawyers will be targets of fraud. Sometimes these frauds use technology to confuse their targets, such as a personalized spear-phishing attack or ransomware schemes. But often these fraudulent schemes take on a more 20th century character. The use of counterfeit cheques or similar instruments is still a… Read More »
Categories: Fraud, TitlePLUS, WebzinePaying attention to the fraud behind the curtain: Don’t get fooled by spoofed email addresses
We have written previously about the dangers associated with email spoofing and phishing schemes, where fraudsters will send fabricated emails purporting to be from a trusted colleague or third party in an effort to trick a lawyer or staff member into clicking on a dangerous link or downloading a dangerous attachment. These fraudulent schemes continue… Read More »
Categories: Cyber dangers, Fraud, WebzineRecognizing the red flags of real estate scams involving corporate identity theft
Frauds targeting real estate lawyers are getting ever more sophisticated. LAWPRO has seen several attempted frauds involving corporate identity theft. The properties involved may be commercial or residential, but are always owned by a corporation. How these frauds work These frauds start with the fraudsters changing or stealing the identity of corporate property owners. This… Read More »
Categories: 2018 February Top Legal Disruptions, Areas of Law, Articles, Content Type, Fraud, LAWPRO Magazine, LAWPRO Magazine Article Type, Malpractice Errors, Real Estate, Title insurance, TitlePLUS, TopicsEvery day you help prevent money laundering
Pay attention to lender instructions on verifying the identification of individuals or corporations Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (“FINTRAC”) has recently changed the identification verification requirements for financial institutions to fulfill their obligations under Canada’s anti-money laundering legislation Financial institutions rely on lawyers to verify the identification of individuals as part of… Read More »
Categories: FraudCybersecurity Handbook: A Resource for Attorneys, Law Firms, and Business Professionals
Jill D. Rhodes and Vincent I. Polley, published 2013, 299 pages The ABA Cybersecurity Handbook: A Resource for Attorneys, Law Firms and Business Professionals provides practical cyber threat information, guidance, and strategies to lawyers and law firms of all sizes. The guide considers the interrelationship between lawyer and client, establishing what legal responsibilities and professional… Read More »
Categories: Book, Cyber dangers, Disaster Planning, Fraud, Legal TechnologyFraud Alert: Email funds transfer fraud targeting Ontario lawyers
LAWPRO has received multiple reports of an email funds transfer fraud targeting Ontario lawyers. Given the similarity of the conversations and the email addresses that are being used, we believe it is the same individual(s) behind this fraud and that there are other firms that have been targeted today, and over the last few weeks…. Read More »
Categories: Alerts, FraudLocked Down: Practical Information Security for Lawyers, 2nd Edition
The first edition of Locked Down: Information Security for Lawyers was published in 2012. It introduced law firms to the increasing importance of having proper cybersecurity for client and firm data. At the time, that concept was still new to a lot of firms and often not taken as seriously as it should have been…. Read More »
Categories: 2017 February Neuroscience, Book Review, Cyber dangers, Fraud, LAWPRO Magazine, LAWPRO Magazine Article Type, Legal TechnologyNew lawyer cyber dangers and how to avoid them
Like the local bank, your practice holds valuable information and money. Your computer systems may contain client information, trade secrets, and intellectual property. Your trust accounts have large sums of money. A cyber breach or trust account theft will harm your clients and potentially cripple your practice. Security guards, specialized safes, and sophisticated procedures protect… Read More »
Categories: 2016 Student Issue 4, Articles, Cyber dangers, Fraud, Law students/new lawyers, Legal Technology, New Lawyers, Tech TipsDon’t take the bait on a spear phishing attack
By now, most lawyers are familiar with phishing attacks. For those who are not, phishing is the attempt to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an email. They take the form of a message, allegedly from your bank or an online retailer you… Read More »
Categories: 2016 January Indigenous, Articles, Cyber dangers, Fraud, Tech Tips