Alerts

Warning: Email misusing the names of Jonathan Hock and Macfarlanes LLP

6 October 2022

Emails have been sent misusing the name of Jonathan Hock of Macfarlanes LLP, requesting the recipient to transfer funds.

What is the scam?

An email has been sent misusing the name 'Jonathan Hock' of 'Macfarlanes LLP', which asks the recipient to send funds in relation to an acquisition.

The email was sent from the email address 'johock@johock.com'. We understand the email was sent to a finance or commercial director of a company who had been asked, by someone purporting to be their 'CEO', to contact the above false email address for details of a supposedly urgent payment.

The email misuses the details and address of a genuine firm (see below).

Any business or transactions through the email address 'johock@johock.com' is not undertaken by a solicitors' practice or individual authorised and regulated by the SRA.

Is there a genuine firm or person?

The SRA authorises and regulates the genuine firm of Macfarlanes LLP of 20 Cursitor Street, London, EC4A 1LT.

Macfarlanes LLP do employ a genuine Jonathan Hock, an associate, in their corporate law department. The genuine email address of Mr Hock is jonathan.hock@macfarlanes.com.

The genuine firm of Macfarlanes LLP has confirmed it and the genuine Jonathan Hock have no connection to the email address provided 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.