Recent Scam Targeting Conveyancing Solicitors

Beware Scammers

Fraudsters are hacking into emails and diverting house purchase payments. Emails between a buyer or seller and their solicitors are being hacked. The fraudster monitors the communications using a malware that looks for key words such as house purchase, deposit, buy and payment and then make their move. They hack into the email account and contact you disguised as your solicitor who you have been liaising with. The fraudsters will tell you by email that your solicitor’s bank account details have changed or they amend the account number before you get it. They will then give you the ‘new’ account details for funds to be sent. The false account is owned by the fraudster leaving you and your solicitor at a substantial financial loss as the funds cannot be recovered.

Protection advice for buyers/sellers:

• Levins Solicitors will never email you to tell you that bank details have changed.
• If you receive an email stating that our bank details have changed you should ring our office immediately for confirmation.
• Check the email address carefully (especially if it is from an account you have not previously received an email from) and if in doubt contact us to confirm that an email has been sent to you.
• Avoid using public Wi-Fi systems to check emails relating to your property. Fraudsters can easily hack into vulnerable Wi-Fi systems.
• Avoid sharing social media posts about buying/selling your house. Fraudsters may get hold of this information and know the next step is a large financial transaction making you vulnerable to the scam.
• Levins Solicitors will not send our bank details to you by email unless you have specifically requested this. If our bank details are ever sent to you by email it is imperative that you ring our office to confirm the sort code and account number before sending funds to us.