Alerts
Warning: Telephone call falsely claiming to be from John Adams of Shearman & Sterling (London) LLP
4 January 2023
A telephone call has been made to a member of the public misusing the name of John Adams of Shearman & Sterling (London) LLP.
What is the scam?
The SRA has been advised that a telephone call has been made to a member of the public falsely claiming to be from 'John Adams' of 'Shearman & Sterling (London) LLP' (see below). The recipient was advised that another call would be made to “someone high up in their organisation” by 'John Adams' and that the content of the call must be kept confidential.
The SRA has been advised that the telephone number used was '+447990527842' and the telephone number '+1 2702632856' was also given.
Any business or transaction through the above telephone numbers is not undertaken by a firm or 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 Shearman & Sterling (London) LLP.
The SRA also authorises and regulates four solicitors called John Adams, one of whom is a partner at the firm Shearman & Sterling (London) LLP and his genuine contact number is +44 20 7655 5740.
The genuine firm of Shearman & Sterling (London) LLP has confirmed that neither it nor the genuine John Adams who is a partner at the firm have any connection to the telephone call referred to in the above alert.
The SRA believes that none of the other solicitors called John Adams are connected to the telephone call 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.
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