Alerts
Warning: Correspondence from 'Barrister Bart Williams' of 'B.Williams & Co Solicitor'
4 August 2021
Emails sent to a member of the public from 'Barrister Bart Williams' of 'B.Williams & Co Solicitor', regarding a supposed inheritance.
What is the scam?
Email has been sent to a member of the public, supposedly from 'Barrister Bart Williams' of 'B.Williams & Co Solicitor'. The email exchanges appear to relate to a purported inheritance, with the recipient understood to have been asked to make advance payments towards the release of a much larger sum.
The emails were sent from 'Barrister Bart Williams' who describes him self as a 'Legal Practitioner, Solicitor & Consultant'. The email provides the contact number '+44 190 557 0147' and the email address 'barristerbart.williams@yahoo.com'. A postal address is provided in Norwich, NR10.
The SRA does not authorise or regulate a firm called 'B.Williams & Co Solicitor' or an individual solicitor called 'Bart Williams' (see below for details of a genuine firm with a similar name).
Any business or transaction through 'Barrister Bart Williams', 'B.Williams & Co Solicitor' or the email address and telephone number referred to above, is not undertaken by a solicitors’ firm authorised and regulated by the SRA.
Is there a genuine firm or person?
The SRA authorises and regulates a genuine firm of solicitors called Bart-Williams & Co (SRA ID: 289473). The firm can be contacted on 0208 2150337 and its office address is 138 Stradbroke Grove, Clayhall, Barkingside, Ilford, Essex, IG5 0DJ. The genuine firm are not believed to have any connection with the emails referred to in the above alert.
What should I do?
When a firm's or individual's identity has been copied exactly (or cloned), due diligence is necessary. If you receive correspondence claiming to be from the above firm(s) or individual(s), or information of a similar nature to that described, you should conduct your own due diligence by checking the authenticity of the correspondence by contacting the law firm directly by reliable and established means. You can contact the SRA to find out if individuals or firms are regulated and authorised by the SRA and verify an individual's or firm's practising details. Other verification methods, such as checking public records (e.g. telephone directories and company records) may be required in other circumstances.
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