Alerts

Warning: Tenancy agreement and letter misusing the name of Shema Ali

17 September 2024

A tenancy agreement and letter has been sent to an energy provider misusing the name of Shema Ali.

What is the scam?

The SRA has been informed that a tenancy agreement and letter has been sent to an energy provider misusing the name and SRA ID of a genuine solicitor (see below). The purported lease seen by the SRA bears a stamp claiming to be for 'SA Solicitor' (which contains the email address of 'solicitorsheema@hotmail.com (notice the extra 'e' in the spelling of the genuine solicitor's name) and is verified by the purported signature of a genuine solicitor on the stamp (see below).

The letter also seen by the SRA confirms the authenticity of the tenancy agreement and provides a contact number of '07883269494' and a postal address of '64 Benhurst Avenue, Hornchurch, Romford, RM 12 4QT'.

Any business or transaction through 'SA Solicitor', the email address 'solicitorsheema@hotmail.com', the contact number '07883269494' or the postal address of '64 Benhurst Avenue, Hornchurch, Romford, RM 12 4QT' is 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 Shema Ali (SRA ID: 225033). Shema Ali is a Consultant at Haris Law Limited and HI Solicitors Limited.

Shema Ali has confirmed that she has no connection to the documents 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.