Alerts

Warning: Email misusing the names 'Burges Salmon LLP' and 'John Barnett'

16 May 2023

An email has been sent misusing the name of 'Burges Salmon LLP' and 'John Barnett' in relation to a supposedly unclaimed inheritance.

What is the scam?

An email has been received by a member of the public from an individual claiming to be 'John Barnett' of 'Burges Salmon LLP'. The email relates to a supposedly unclaimed inheritance from an individual that may be related to the recipient of the email.

The email was sent from 'johnisbarnett@hotmail.com' and included the name and postal address of a genuine firm of solicitors (see below).

Any business or transaction through the email address 'johnisbarnett@hotmail.com' is not undertaken by an individual or firm of solicitors authorised and regulated by the SRA.

Is there a genuine firm or person?

The SRA authorises and regulates a genuine firm of solicitors called Burges Salmon LLP. The genuine email addresses used by the firm use the domain '@burges-salmon.com' and its head office address is 1 Glass Wharf, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, BS2 0ZX.

The SRA also authorises and regulates a genuine solicitor called John Barnett who works at Burges Salmon LLP. His genuine email address is john.barnett@burges-salmon.com.

The genuine firm of Burges Salmon LLP has confirmed that neither it nor the genuine John Barnett has any connection with the email 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.

More information

Updated 24 August 2023

The SRA has been informed that a similar email has been received from the email address 'Johnbi2arnett@hotmail.com'.

Any business or transaction through the email address 'Johnbi2arnett@hotmail.com' is not undertaken by an individual or firm of solicitors authorised and regulated by the SRA.

The genuine firm of Burges Salmon LLP has confirmed that neither it nor the genuine John Barnett has any connection with the email address 'Johnbi2arnett@hotmail.com'