We have previously asked you to be on the alert for fraudulent activity involving individuals claiming to be members of our firm or our firm’s lawyers. Recently, these individuals have been making telephone calls offering consultations on cases of fraud or assistance with refunds. Please be advised that our firm does not engage in such telephone/SNS solicitation. We ask that you exercise caution and note the following cases that we have identified to date:
Cases
- A case in which an individual sends lawyer profile images from our firm’s website to online groups dedicated to trading in antique coins on the LINE messaging app, falsely claiming that these lawyers are also participating in these trades, and then recommends investing in antique coins while soliciting funds;
- A case of fraud in which a third party, impersonating our firm, falsely claims copyright infringement on behalf of purported clients of our firm and requests content takedown and implementation of recurrence prevention measures in relation to such infringement, while also soliciting contact information and other details under the guise of conducting further investigations;
- A case of fraud under the guise of “Global Fraud Recovery,” in which our firm’s address, along with the names and photographs of our lawyers, are used without authorization to redirect inquiries from fraud victims and those seeking advice regarding fraudulent activities to third-party LINE accounts;
- A case of fraud by an individual claiming to be a lawyer of our firm requesting the installation of a specific app for a fraudulent cryptocurrency refund procedure;
- A case of fraud by an individual claiming to be a lawyer of our firm requesting a deposit to be remitted to a court for a fraudulent cryptocurrency refund procedure;
- A case of fraud by an individual claiming to be a lawyer of our firm fraudulently offering victims of a previous fraud case the opportunity to recover contingency fees;
- A case of fraud by an individual claiming to be a lawyer of our firm asking victims of a previous fraud case to remit legal fees;
- A case of fraud by an individual claiming to be a lawyer of our firm who can prepare certified documents for restitution proceedings concerning damages related to unlisted stocks;
- A case in which an individual claiming to be a lawyer of our firm sought consultation with a foreign law firm via a social networking site; and
- A case in which a request for payment was made by presenting a copy of a notice bearing our firm’s name.
You should also be particularly aware that there have been several recent cases of individuals using the names of our firm or our lawyers in their communications on social networking sites of LINE etc, including the use of misleading and deceptive text and images.
If an unknown individual contacts you claiming to be a member of our firm or one of our lawyers, please refrain from responding immediately, and ensure that you have sufficiently verified their identity.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via the following contact information:
Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu
Tel: +81-3-6889-7000 (general) (9:00-17:00)
E-mail: info@noandt.com
