Alerts

Warning: Emails falsely claiming to be from Jim Murphy of Rees Page

29 May 2024

A client has been contacted requesting payment of deposit monies.

What is the scam?

An email has been sent falsely claiming to be from a solicitor (see below). The email requests the client to make a down payment in connection to an ongoing property transaction.

The email was sent from the email address 'jmurphy@reeespage.co.uk'.

Any business or transaction through the email address 'jmurphy@reeespage.co.uk' 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 Rees Page whose head office is at 8-12 Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton, WV1 4BL. The email domain used by the genuine firm is @reespage.co.uk.

The SRA also authorises and regulates a genuine solicitor called James Murphy, referred to as Jim Murphy, who is employed at the genuine firm. His genuine email address is jmurphy@reespage.co.uk.

The genuine firm of Rees Page has confirmed that neither it nor James Murphy, have any connection to the emails 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.