Protecting Against Rising Fraud and Scams in the Legal Field
- Olivia Stanford
- Mar 14
- 2 min read
With fraud and scams rising to an unprecedented level, it is more important than ever to take the necessary precautions.
In January, the Alberta Lawyers Indemnity Association (ALIA) reported a real estate transaction scam in Alberta, with incidents of rerouting mortgage payout funds to fraudulent accounts from three firms. This scam involved the impersonation of different private lending companies. Two of these firms did not discover the scam until the mortgage funds were nearly all gone. These private lenders were impersonated with a fake email address, only changing a few letters so as to still resemble the same email.
Knowing what some of the most common scams are can help you act quickly and defensively if needed.
Email Spoofing
Email spoofing is when a person or business is impersonated to trick the user into thinking that the message is from a trusted source. When disguised as a recognized sender, it can be difficult to differentiate between legitimate and illegitimate emails.
Phishing Links and Malicious Attachment
Phishing is a form of scamming that tricks victims into revealing sensitive information or downloading malware. This common scam method often comes in the form of an email with a link to a fake website or an attachment infected with malware sent to your inbox. By clicking the link, or downloading the attachment, you become vulnerable to the individual sending the phishing message.
Fake Payments and Payment Requests
This scam method combines principles of email spoofing and phishing by impersonating a bank or another law firm and requesting that information be shared or funds transferred.
The Law Society of Alberta recommends that legal teams look out for the following circumstances:
The sender provides revised payout statements, or payment information is revised at the last minute.
The recipient of funds is different from the lender, such as a numbered company.
The email contains poor grammar and spelling.
The sender is requesting information already provided or irrelevant to the transaction.
Suspicious links or attachments are included.
At Prolegis, we prioritize safety and security for both you and your clients. Our online and easily accessible services are secure and built to assist the lawyer in protecting that key information. We employ Canadian data centres, top of the line security protocols, password and login protocols, server redundancy and backup, rigorous corporate privacy and data management policies, and a framework that ensures your information and your clients’ information is protected. Our secure platform ensures that all your transactions and sensitive information are safeguarded with the highest security standards.
Some of the features of the protection are as follows:
We require complex passwords
Multi-factor authentication
The data is stored in secure servers that are located in Canada.
We take a proactive approach to data management and protection.
We have a common set of standards across the network to address matters of data governance, protection and appropriate use of data.
Your clients' data is stored in a secure environment.
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