Collaborative Law Agreement email scam resurfaces
An email scam which targeted New Zealand law firms last year appears to have resurfaced, with lawyers reporting receiving a new variation.
The scammer - often pretending to be Japanese or South Korean - makes contact with a New Zealand lawyer or law firm with an email which typically begins:
"My name is [Henriet or Zaira are being used at the moment], I am contacting your law firm in regards to a divorce settlement with my ex-husband [usually a Japanese name] who resides in your jurisdiction.
"We had out of court (Collaborative Law Agreement) for him to settle with me with $648,000 plus legal fees. He has only paid me $148,000 since."
The email asks the law firm to help collect the payment.
If a response is received from the law firm, the scammer usually replies with a copy of a "Collaborative Law Participation Agreement" (allegedly prepared by a real United States lawyer, but with rather amateurish layout and language). The scammer sometimes also attaches a scanned Japanese passport page allegedly with a photo of her - but the signature is often noticeably pasted in from another document.
If the lawyer allows the scam to proceed, the missing husband will magically appear (often as the result of a chance meeting with his ex-wife) and finally agree to make the payment.
The scam ends with the appearance of a large cheque drawn on a real and reputable bank. The lawyer deposits this in his or her trust account, retains the agreed fee, and sends the remainder to the scammer. Shortly afterwards, the cheque bounces.
The New Zealand Law Society has publicised this scam several times, and continues to advise lawyers that they should ignore these emails. Further information on email scams targeting New Zealand lawyers is available at my.lawsociety.org.nz/in_practice/practice_management/email_scam_information.