Alerts

Warning: Correspondence sent from 'Jonathan Mercer Associates' and 'Jonathan Mercer LLP'

23 April 2023

Letters have been sent claiming to be from 'Jonathan Mercer' of 'Jonathan Mercer Associates' and 'Jonathan Mercer LLP' regarding an unclaimed life insurance policy.

What is the scam?

The SRA has been advised that letters have been sent to members of the public from 'Jonathan Mercer' claiming to be a 'principal solicitor' at 'Jonathan Mercer Associates' and 'Jonathan Mercer LLP' regarding a supposedly unclaimed permanent life insurance policy.

The letter seen by the SRA refers to an unclaimed life insurance policy for a deceased client with the same surname as the recipient of the letter and asks the recipient to help claim the policy benefit.

The letter advises the recipient that 10% of the proceeds will go to charity, with the remaining 90% to be shared between the recipient and 'Jonathan Mercer'.

The letter provides the email address 'jonathanmercer1@email.com' and a telephone number of '0776-678-3187'. The letter misuses the genuine postal address of a genuine firm of solicitors (see below).

Any business or transactions through the individual 'Jonathan Mercer' or the supposed firms of 'Jonathan Mercer Associates' or 'Jonathan Mercer LLP' and the above email address and telephone number are not undertaken by a firm or solicitor authorised and regulated by the SRA.

Is there a genuine firm or person?

The SRA authorises and regulates a genuine firm called Amy & Co. The firm's genuine postal address is New Broad Street House, 35 New Broad Street, London EC2M 1NH.

Amy & Co has confirmed that it has no connection to the letters 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 (eg. telephone directories and company records) may be required in other circumstances.