Scam alerts round-up

Overview of recent scam activity

Our round up highlights the latest high-risk scams for both members of the public and solicitors.

We want to help people make well-informed choices about using legal services. As well as supporting solicitors to help keep their firm safe.

In the last three months from 1 November 2023 to 31 January 2024, we have published 83 scam alerts.

We have set out below a summary of the different platforms that have been used in these scams. 

Inheritance entitlement to money (3)

Emails/phishing/malware (38)

Bogus firms (7)

Other (eg. documents, telephone calls and websites) (35)

What you should do

Members of the public

  • Check that any unexpected correspondence received is genuine - particularly if it asks you to provide personal information, funds or informs you of new bank details - by contacting the law firm directly by reliable and established means.
  • You can Contact us to find out if a solicitor or law firm is regulated and authorised by the SRA.
  • You may also need to verify details independently, such as checking public records (eg. telephone directories and company records) in some circumstances.

Solicitors and law firms

Useful resources to help keep your firm safe:

Last updated: February 2024 | Next update due: May 2024