Alerts

Warning: Emails misusing the name of Michael Herford

10 September 2023

Emails have been sent to members of the public purporting to be from Michael Herford.

What is the scam?

The SRA has been advised that emails have been sent to members of the public purporting to be from a genuine solicitor (see below). The emails seen by the SRA have been sent from the email address 'Michael.Herford@cartwrightking.co.uk' and provide another email address of 'Michael.Herford@cartwrightking.co.uk.cjsm.net' (see below).

Any business or transactions through the email addresses  'Michael.Herford@cartwrightking.co.uk' and 'Michael.Herford@cartwrightking.co.uk.cjsm.net' are 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 solicitor called Michael Herford. The genuine Michael Herford is a consultant solicitor at Reeds Solicitors LLP, a firm authorised and regulated by the SRA. All genuine emails from the firm come from the domain name @reeds.co.uk.

Michael Herford was a former consultant at Cartwright King Limited. AWH Acquisition Corp Limited now trades as Cartwright King. All genuine emails from the firm come from the email domain names @awhlegal.co.uk, @cartwrightking.co.uk and @cartwrightking.co.uk.cjsm.net.

The genuine Michael Herford has confirmed that he no longer has any connection to the email addresses 'Michael.Herford@cartwrightking.co.uk' or 'Michael.Herford@cartwrightking.co.uk.cjsm.net'.

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.