Alerts

Warning: Correspondence and invoice misusing the name of 'Claudia K Lawson' of 'CKL Law Office'

2 August 2021

Correspondence and an invoice have been sent falsely claiming to be from 'Claudia Lawson' of 'CKL Law Office' in respect of am investment agreement.

What is the scam?

Correspondence and an invoice have been sent falsely claiming to be from Claudia K.Lawson of 'CKL Law Office' in respect of an investment agreement.

The letter seen by the SRA informs the recipient that 'Claudia K.Lawson' of 'CKL Law Office' will deal with their investment . The SRA has also seen an invoice requesting part payment of the 'retainer'.

The email seen by the SRA appears to comes from the email address 'claudiaklawson@zohoemail.eu' and provides an address of 11 Westferry Circus, Canary Wharf, London, E14 4HE. The document refers to a telephone and fax number of '(0) 208 088 3674'. The email also provides the SRA ID for a genuine solicitor(see below).

Any business or transaction through 'CKL' and the email address, telephone number, fax number and postal address are not undertaken by a firm or an individual authorised and regulated by the SRA.

Is there a genuine firm or person?

The SRA authorises and regulates a solicitor called Claudia Kelly Lawson whose SRA ID is 523397.

The genuine Claudia Kelly Lawson has confirmed that she has  no intended connection with the correspondence  and document referred to above.

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.