Individual falsely claiming to be a paralegal
What's the scam?
We’ve been made aware of an individual calling themselves ‘Susan Fowler’ falsely claiming to be a paralegal and a ‘conveyancing attorney’ working for law firm HBJ Gately. The individual has been sending emails to various parties with the subject line ‘Contract of sale’. The body of the email goes on to explain: ‘Accordingly please see attached updated draft contract for sale and draft TR1 to reflect this.’
We have been in contact with HBJ Gately, who are a legitimate law firm, and they have confirmed that there is no Susan Fowler employed with them.
What are we doing?
The alleged scam is being investigated further.
What should you do?
If you are contacted by a ‘Susan Fowler’ claiming to be a paralegal, do not reply or engage with any offer of legal services or open any attachments contained within the email. Contact the police if you suspect a scam.
If you are suspicious about any individual claiming to work for a firm of Scottish solicitors, contact the firm directly to verify that they are legitimately employed there. You can use our Find a Solicitor tool to search for the contact detail of Scottish law firms.
Fraud and scam alerts
We regularly issue alerts to members and the public in response to threats to the profession. We also raise awareness of any potential scams involving fake solicitors or firms.