Alerts

Warning: Website claiming to be for 'The Law Office of Craig Nicolas Howell'

7 May 2024

A website at 'www.howell-solicitor.com' was operating and claiming to be 'The Law Office of Craig Nicolas Howell'.

What is the scam?

A website at 'www.howell-solicitor.com' which was operating and claiming to be a law firm called 'The Law Office of Craig Nicolas Howell'.

The website misuses the name of a genuine individual (see below) and registered address of a genuine firm of solicitors (see below).

The SRA has also seen communication from an individual falsely claiming to be 'Craig Nicolas Howell' in relation to a legal matter.

The communication misused the address of a genuine firm of solicitors and provided the telephone number and fax number as '+44(20) 3996 9912'. An email address of 'info@howell-solicitor.com' was also provided.

Any business or transaction through the website 'www.howell-solicitor.com', telephone number and fax number of '+44(20) 3996 9912' and email 'info@howell-solicitor.com' 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 Craig Nicolas Howell who is a Partner at Aldsol Limited trading as Alderstone Solicitors Limited.

Craig Nicolas Howell has confirmed that he does not have any connection to the letter or website referred to in the above alert.

The SRA does authorise and regulate several genuine firms of solicitors with the address of 1 Temple Avenue, London EC4Y 0HA. We do not believe genuine firm of solicitors have any connection to the website referred to above.

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.