Alerts

Warning: Letter falsely claiming to be from Sarah Bennett-Jones of Bevan Brittan LLP

28 November 2024

A letter has been sent falsely claiming to be from Sarah Bennett-Jones of Bevan Brittan LLP.

What is the scam?

The SRA has been informed that a letter has been sent falsely claiming to be from a genuine solicitor at a genuine firm of solicitors (see below).

The letter is in relation to a data protection breach.  However, it is on a form of letterhead which is not that which Bevan Brittan currently uses (the fake letter has the name and logo on the left side of the letter, which is not the case with genuine correspondence), and does not have a document number, which is on all genuine Bevan Brittan letters.

Is there a genuine firm or person?

The SRA authorises and regulates a genuine firm of solicitors called Bevan Brittan LLP. Its head office address is Kings Orchard, 1 Queen Street, Bristol, BS2 0HQ.

The SRA also authorises and regulates a genuine solicitor called Sarah Bennett-Jones who is employed at Bevan Brittan LLP.

Bevan Brittan LLP has confirmed that neither it, nor Sarah Bennett-Jones, have any connection to the letter 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.