Alerts
Warning: Emails misusing the name of Duane Morris
14 July 2022
Emails have been sent falsely claiming to be from ‘Bill Thomas’ of Duane Morris in relation to a supposed inheritance.
What is the scam?
The SRA has been advised that an email has been sent to a member of the public, falsely claiming to be from 'Bill Thomas' of 'Duane Morris Law Firm. The email seen by the SRA related to a supposed inheritance.
The email was sent from the email address 'bill.miller229@yahoo.com' and provided an old postal address for a genuine firm of solicitors (see below).
The SRA does not authorise or regulate a solicitor called 'Bill Thomas' (or 'Bill Miller') but see below in relation to genuine solicitors called William Thomas and William Miller.
Any business or transactions through the email address 'bill.miller229@yahoo.com' or 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 Duane Morris, which has a London office at Citypoint, 16th floor, One Ropemaker Street, London, EC2Y 9AW. The firm did previously have an office at 10 Chiswell Street, London, EC1Y 4UQ but vacated those offices several years ago.
The genuine firm of Duane Morris has confirmed it has no connection to the email referred to in the above alert.
The SRA also authorises several genuine solicitors called William Thomas or William Miller, none of whom are believed to have any 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.