A foreign citizen wants to enter a contract to sell some goods. They would like to retain you to complete the transaction and collect the monies to be paid by the local buyer. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are involved.

I suspect that by now, every attorney has received this basic email scam (or any number of variations) at least once, if not hundreds of times.

At some point, they all end the same. The buyer sends you, the local attorney, a check or wire transfer. Upon receipt, the attorney is asked to pay the funds over to the foreign citizen. The attorney can keep a piece as a fee. After the attorney sends the net funds to the “client,” the buyer’s deposited check proves fraudulent or the wire transfer is reversed.

This month I received a new and improved version. It began with an email:

I have a divorce settlement matter with my ex-husband. I will be grateful for your assistance concerning this matter.”

I reply. I tell her my fee for a consultation.Continue Reading Email Scammers Are Getting More Clever — Let’s Be Careful Out There!