Conveyancing Scams continue to rise!

All clients should be extra vigilant when transferring funds

All clients should be extra vigilant when transferring funds to the bank account of their solicitors.

A recent case which is linked below shows how things can go badly wrong.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/jan/14/lost-67000-conveyancing-scam-friday-afternoon-fraud-legal-sector-email-hacker

In this case emails were hacked and this led to the deposit funds being sent to the wrong account.

Our guidance is to ensure that you call your solicitor and check their bank details over the phone. It is best not to rely on emails for this.

Another useful tip is to send a small amount and then call your solicitor to ensure they have received this amount. Then send any larger amounts.

Ensure you use the number from their official website and check this number on the site below.

http://solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk/

Finally if you are asked to send funds to an account that you have not sent to before in your purchase investigate why.