Alerts

Warning: Correspondence sent from ‘James Ashon’ and ’Herbert & Regina LLP’

7 November 2022

'James Ashon' of 'Herbert & Regina LLP' has sent correspondence falsely claiming to be a solicitor and asking for payments.

What is the scam?

A member of the public has been sent emails and documents from 'James Ashon', who claims to be a solicitor from 'Herbert & Regina LLP'. The correspondence aims to persuade the recipient to make payments, to purportedly help transfer the ownership of some gold bullion.

At one stage, to supposedly address concerns of the recipient, the individual claiming to be 'James Ashon' provided a fake SRA Practicing Certificate for the year 2022-2023.

The SRA does not authorise or regulate a genuine firm of solicitors called Herbert & Regina LLP or a genuine solicitor called 'James Ashon'.

The emails seen by the SRA were sent from the email address 'Ashon@harllp.com' and provide the mobile phone number of '+44 753 713 1555'. They also provide supposed website and office addresses of 'Herbert & Regina LLP' of '28 Manchester St, London, W1U 7LE, United Kingdom' and the website 'www.harllp.com'.

Any business or transaction undertaken through 'James Ashon' or 'Herbert & Regina LLP' or through the email, telephone number or website referred to above is not undertaken by a solicitor's practice or individual authorised and regulated by the SRA.

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 (eg. telephone directories and company records) may be required in other circumstances.