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WhatsApp scam

Please be aware that fraudsters are impersonating Edwin Coe lawyers on WhatsApp requesting payment of monies for fake transactions.  Edwin Coe lawyers will never contact you via WhatsApp as this is not a communications platform that we use.

 

Using Edwin Coe address or VAT No

We have become aware that a website “LINX.BOT” has been using the VAT No and address of Edwin Coe.  Edwin Coe has no affiliation with this website and users of the site have informed us that they have purchased goods that are never delivered.

Please report any loss through this website to the Action Fraud details below.

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Please be aware that fraudulent domain names have been registered (edwincoelawfirm.com and edwincoefirm.com) that are being used in active wire transfer scams against organisations. The domain registrar has been approached by us to remove them.

The emails are typically requesting payment of an invoice purporting to come from us using ApplePay rather than through our usual banking facilities. Another instance we have seen is requesting monies to be paid to an account for imminent deal closure.
Please note that we will never change our bank details without written warning in advance and you will never be advised of a change of bank details for Edwin Coe LLP via email. Bank details will be supplied at the start of the matter and will remain unchanged.

If you receive any emails from edwincoelawfirm.com or edwincoefirm.com you are advised not to respond to them, but to report them to your local police or anti-fraud agency. In the UK you should report it to Action Fraud (https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/).

Genuine emails from Edwin Coe LLP only originate from edwincoe.com.

If you wish to alert us about a possible scam involving the use of our name please contact us at alerts@edwincoe.com

Should you have any doubt about the authenticity of a communication purportedly coming from Edwin Coe please contact us.

 

Scam alert warning

Criminals may pose as someone from Edwin Coe, or claim an association with Edwin Coe, in order to carry out scams or frauds.

Scams usually involve attempts to steal personal or confidential information, to use in illegal activities or redirect money to criminals; they may not always request money or personal details at first, but will usually do so if you respond. In other cases, the e-mail may contain a malicious attachment or links which can deliver malware. If you are not expecting the email just delete it or forward to Action fraud in the UK or the relevant body in your jurisdiction.

Some common themes include:

  • a request to a CEO to pay Edwin Coe monies in relation to an urgent transaction – these requests are normally made on a Friday afternoon and are often called “CEO frauds”;
  • a copyright or other lawsuit has been filed against you or you are summoned to appear in court;
  • inheritance of a substantial sum of money or some other benefit;
  • legal services fraud involving the impersonation of our firm or its lawyers to secure advance payment for legal services;
  • the use of fraudulent domains or emails purporting to be connected with our firm.
    We’ve implemented an email security protocol called DMARC, so any emails which clients receive from @edwincoe.com should have originated from our firm. This makes email spoofing more difficult, but not impossible. Please be aware of the use of ‘look alike’ domains such edwincoes.com, edwincoeattorneys.com, edwincoelawfirm.com, edwinscoe.com (and many more!) – threat actors often use them to deceive unsuspecting recipients. Our lawyers will only communicate via our official email systems and will not use Gmail or similar webmail services, so please be cautious of emails purporting to be the firm from these personal email services. Always verify the sender’s address to ensure it is genuinely from us.
  • impersonation of a senior person within the organisation asking for immediate payment to a law firm such as us for money on account or payment of fees. The addressee and bank account will usually be fraudulent and will redirect funds straight to the scammer. Always be alert for unusual or out of character emails, particularly concerning urgent requests or an unusual transfer of money.
  • attempts to change the payment details of our invoices in general, whilst using Brexit or Covid 19 as a reason. These payments will be funnelled into a fraudulent account. We will never change our bank details without a written warning in advance. Please contact a known person within the firm via another method other than email if this happens. Don’t use the phone number in the email because it may go direct to the scammer.

You can find further information on scams on the Solicitors Regulation Authority website. Unfortunately, we will not be able to recover the funds for you if you have paid money away to a scam. However, we do take all cases seriously and our financial crime team will be happy to take the details of your case.

If you wish to alert us about a possible scam involving the use of our name please contact us at alerts@edwincoe.com

Should you have any doubt about the authenticity of a communication purportedly coming from Edwin Coe LLP or wish to report a scam involving use of our name please contact us.

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