Alerts

Warning: Emails falsely claiming to be from Palmer and Palmer Solicitors Limited t/a Cunningham Eves Solicitors

24 July 2024

Emails have been sent falsely claiming to be from Palmer and Palmer Solicitors Limited t/a Cunningham Eves Solicitors.

What is the scam?

The SRA has been advised that emails have been sent falsely claiming to be from a genuine firm of solicitors (see below).

The SRA understands that the emails requested the recipient to send money to an alternative bank account which did not belong to the genuine firm.

The email address used to send the emails was 'aditya@cunninighameves.com'.

It is understood that further emails have been sent to other firms from the email addresses 'edcgstek284@gmx.us' and 'mitsutoshi-satoh@nifty.com' which misuse the genuine firm's email footer.

Any business or transactions through the email addresses 'aditya@cunninighameves.com', 'edcgstek284@gmx.us' and 'mitsutoshi-satoh@nifty.com' is not undertaken by a firm or individual authorised and regulated by the SRA.

Is there a genuine firm or person?

The SRA authorises and regulates a genuine firm of solicitors called Palmer and Palmer Solicitors Limited t/a Cunningham Eves Solicitors. The firm's genuine email domain is '@cunninghameves.com'. Aditya Pillai is a genuine employee at the firm.

The genuine firm has confirmed that neither it nor the genuine Aditya Pillai have any connection to the emails referred to in the above alert.

What should I do?

When a firm's or individual's identity has been copied exactly (or cloned), due diligence is necessary. If you receive correspondence claiming to be from the above firm(s) or individual(s), or information of a similar nature to that described, you should conduct your own due diligence by checking the authenticity of the correspondence by contacting the law firm directly by reliable and established means. You can contact the SRA to find out if individuals or firms are regulated and authorised by the SRA and verify an individual's or firm's practising details. Other verification methods, such as checking public records (e.g. telephone directories and company records) may be required in other circumstances.