BOGUS TELEPHONE ENQUIRIES

The Society has recently been contacted by a number of firms, advising that their book-keeping staff have received bogus phone calls from someone purporting to be a solicitor, seeking the firm client bank account details for the purported payment of damages cheques by BACS/CHAPS transfer. In some cases the caller has given the name of a client of the practice. To date it is unclear as to the intended use of this information.

Solicitors should ensure that they and all staff exercise particular caution in furnishing these details to third parties and that they have procedures in place to verify the identity of the recipients of the information eg ring back call, confirmatory fax or e-mail from the person requesting the information.