Alerts

Warning: Letter misusing the name of Watson Farley & Williams LLP

5 August 2022

An email attaching a letter has been sent falsely claiming to be from 'Watson Farley & Williams LLP' in relation to a supposed debt collection.

What is the scam?

The SRA has been advised that an email has been sent attaching a letter to a member of the public residing in Singapore from an individual called 'mrs. drs. Lindsey Keeble' claiming to be employed at 'Watson Farley & Williams'. The letter relates to a supposed debt and request that payment is made.

The letter was sent using an email address of 'lindsey@watsonfarleywilliams.co.uk'.

The letter misuses the name of a genuine solicitor and the name and address of a genuine firm of solicitors (see below).

Any business or transactions through the email address of 'lindsey@watsonfarleywilliams.co.uk' is not undertaken by a solicitors' practice or an individual authorised or regulated by the SRA.

Is there a genuine firm or person?

The SRA authorises and regulates a genuine firm of solicitors called Watson Farley & Williams LLP. The head office is at 15 Appold Street London EC2A 2HB. The email domain of the firm ends with @wfw.com.

The SRA also authorises and regulates a genuine solicitor called Lindsey Keeble who is a Managing Partner at Watson Farley & Williams LLP, and who has an email address through the firm’s domain name.

Watson Farley & Williams LLP and Lindsey Keeble have confirmed they do not have any connection to the alert 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.