Alerts

Warning: Emails misusing the name of Farrer & Co LLP

21 July 2022

Emails have been sent misusing the name of Kate Allass of Farrer & Co LLP.

What is the scam?

Emails have been received by businesses which falsely claim to be from 'Kate Allass' of 'Farrer & Co LLP'. The emails appear to relate to unpaid invoices and require the recipient to pay funds into a bank account.

The emails have been sent from the email addresses kate.allass@farrerr.co.uk. The correct spelling is 'Farrer' (ending in one 'r') and not 'Farrerr' (ending in two 'r's), and kate.allass@farrere.co.uk.

Any business or transactions through the email addresses kate.allass@farrerr.co.uk and kate.allass@farrere.co.uk, are not undertaken by a solicitors' practice or 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 Farrer & Co LLP. Its office address is 66 Lincoln’s Inn Field, London, WC2A 3LH. The firm’s genuine email domain ends with '@farrer.co.uk'.

The SRA also authorises and regulates a genuine solicitor called Kate Allass, who is a Partner at Farrer & Co LLP. Her genuine email address is
kate.allass@farrer.co.uk.

The genuine firm of Farrer & Co LLP has confirmed that neither it nor the genuine Kate Allass have any connection to the emails 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.