Alerts

Warning: Emails misusing the details of Thompson Smith and Puxon

22 April 2022

A member of the public has been contacted by someone falsely claiming to be ‘Mark Rowlands’ of 'Thompson Smith and Puxon'.

What is the scam?

The SRA has been notified that a member of the public has been contacted by an individual falsely claiming to be 'Mark Rowlands, Senior Associate at Thompson Smith and Puxon' (see below). The emails appear to relate to a supposed inheritance.

The emails were sent from the email address marklfirm@gmail.com and provided the following contact number +44 7537 102375.

Any business or transactions through the email address or phone number listed above, are not undertaken by a firm or individual authorised and regulated by the SRA.

Is there a genuine firm or person?

The SRA authorises and regulates a genuine solicitor called Mark Rowlands who is employed at the genuine firm of Thompson Smith and Puxon, whose genuine email address is mark.rowlands@tsplegal.com. The firm’s head office address is Stable 6, Stable Road, Colchester, CO2 7GL, and its telephone number is 01206574431.

The genuine firm of Thompson Smith and Puxon has confirmed that neither it nor the genuine Mark Rowlands have any connection to the email and contact details 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.