Alerts

Warning: Correspondence and email misusing the name of Burges Salmon LLP

21 July 2021

Correspondence has been sent misusing the details of Burges Salmon LLP in respect of a supposed recovery payment.

What is the scam?

We understand a letter has been attached to an email and sent to a member of the public from ‘Melissa A.Ashburn’, claiming to be a Legal Consultant at ‘Burges Salmon LLP’.

The letter informs the recipient that they are entitled to a recovery of “$205,000.00” and the money is held by a bank.

The email seen by the SRA was sent from the email address “bristoliannews@markshepherdburges-salmon.com” and mentions the email address Marksherperdburges@iol.com within the correspondence . The email signature provides the telephone numbers “02079804966” and “07441 410209”. A fax number is also provided of “0117 992 4400”.

The SRA does not authorise or regulate “Melissa A.Ashburn”. Any business or transaction through the email addresses, telephone numbers and fax number are not undertaken by a solicitor’s practice or by an individual authorised and regulated by the SRA.

Is there a genuine firm or person?

The SRA authorises and regulates a genuine firm of solicitors called Burges Salmon LLP. The genuine firm uses email addresses that end with the domain name '@burges-salmon.com'.  The address for the firm’s head office is One Glass Wharf, Bristol, BS2 0XZ (DX is: 7829 Bristol ). The telephone number is 0117 939 2000 and the fax number is +44 0117 902 440.

Mark Shepherd Is a member of Burges Salmon LLP whose email address is mark.shepherd@burges-salmon.com.

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.