Alerts

Warning: Email misusing the name of Peter Bibby of Brown Rudnick LLP

14 February 2022

An email has been sent claiming to be from Peter Bibby of Brown Rudnick LLP introducing the recipient to a business.

What is the scam?

The SRA has seen an email received by a member of the public claiming to have been sent by 'Barr'. Peter Bibby (see below). The email advised the recipient that it would be a 'pleasure to introduce to you a business'. The recipient is then requested to respond back to the email.

The email seen by the SRA was sent from the email address 'chrisyoungacs35@gmail.com' and requested a response to the email address 'sasdr35235@outlook.com'.

Any business or transaction through the above email addresses 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 Peter Bibby who is a Partner at Brown Rudnick LLP. The genuine email address for Peter Bibby is pbibby@brownrudnick.com.

The genuine Peter Bibby has confirmed that he has no genuine or intended connection to the email 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.