Conveyancing trust account year-end scam

Conveyancing trust account year-end scam

A Pietermaritzburg firm reported a new fraudulent scam this week as far as conveyancing  payments are concerned.

The firm sent an e-mail to a client asking him to make payment of an amount into the firm’s Bank A trust account. The next morning the client treceived a second e-mail advising him that, because it was year end, the firm required him to make payment into its Bank B trust account.

Fortunately the client was suspicious and phoned to verify that the e-mail did in fact come from the firm and that it was correct that the bank details had changed.

The second e-mail did not emanate from the firm and the Bank B account was not their trust account number.

The firm resolved that all their e-mails would, in future,  carry a note to advise the client that the account details will not change under any circumstances. The e-mails will be followed by a telephone call to confirm the account details and the fact that the information will not change.