Alerts

Warning: Email misusing the name of Alan J Davies and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

29 February 2024

An email has been sent misusing the name of Alan J Davies and Debevoise & Plimpton LLP.

What is the scam?

An email has been sent falsely claiming to be from Alan J Davies at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. The sender of the email requests the recipient to confirm receipt of the email to enable bank information to be provided for payment of an invoice to be made.

The email seen by the SRA was sent from the email address of 'ajdavies@debevoises.com' and cc'd the email addresses of 'adaud@debevoises.com', 'pdixon@debevoises.com' and 'rbetmansour@debevoises.com'.

The email misuses the genuine firm’s name, logo and office address (please see below). The email also misuses the genuine name of a solicitor (please see below).

Any business or transactions through the email addresses of ajdavies@debevoises.com' 'adaud@debevoises.com', 'pdixon@debevoises.com' and 'rbetmansour@debevoises.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 Debevoise & Plimpton LLP whose head office address is 65 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7NQ. The genuine firm's email domain ends in '@debevoise.com' (please note that there is no 's' at the end of 'Debevoise').

The SRA also authorises and regulates a genuine solicitor called Mr Alan John Davies and is a partner at the genuine firm.

The genuine firm has confirmed that neither it, nor its genuine Alan John Davies has any connection to 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 (e.g. telephone directories and company records) may be required in other circumstances.