Fraudulent Client Rip Off

Recently in Colorado there has been a string of false clients from out of state contacting attorneys for the resolution of a dispute with a company located in Colorado.  The perpetrators have developed websites and have people answer phone calls for both businesses to lend credibility to the scam.  Once the attorney signs the client they receive a check from the local company to have placed in trust with the Attorney in Colorado and ask for the Attorney to send the funds immediately.  Once they receive the funds there will no longer be any contact from either company, and the check will be caught as fraudulent from the bank.  This happened dozens of attorneys in the metro area and accross the state.  I was contacted by one of these companies as well, however I was able to determine the check was fake before any money was turned over to the criminals. The Office of Attorney Regulations sent out an email a few months later to all attorneys warning of the scam and making a note that only one attorney had not given funds to the perpetrators.  It is nice to be recognized by your peers for appropriately handling client funds and confidences.  This is the same reliable service that I give to all my clients to ensure that everyone is safe, and people like these cannot succeed in stealing funds from our office or our clients.