Cyber fraud is increasingly affecting individuals and businesses.

Business owners and other professionals including fellow solicitors owe their clients a duty of care and will be held legally responsible for their client’s losses where there has been negligence or breach of trust on their part. In a solicitor and client relationship, a solicitor that fails to undertake reasonable steps to verify a seller’s identity before completing a conveyancing transaction is likely to be found liable. Similarly, a solicitor that fails to notice the signs of fraud before it occurs is also likely to be found liable.

Our solicitors have recovered 100% of our client’s losses in a number of cyber fraud claims, and it is a significant part of our dispute resolution department’s caseload. We are often able to act on a no win, no fee basis and also offer a spectrum of other flexible funding solutions where the claim for negligence or breach of trust has merit.

The scale and extent of cyber fraud is so large that anyone who uses computers to bank, shop or even communicate with friends could be a target. There are many different types of cyber fraud, which can affect both individuals and businesses:

Cyber fraud targeting individuals:

• Electronic financial frauds such as online banking frauds and internet enabled card-not-present (CNP) fraud
• Lottery scams
• Fraudulent sales through retail sites or through fake websites
• Mass-marketing frauds and consumer scams, including phishing scams where they use fraudulent emails disguised as legitimate emails

Cyber fraud targeting businesses and solicitors:

• Where fraudsters intercept emails between the solicitor and their client and ‘arrange’ for monies intended for a property transaction to be diverted to their account
• Invoice Fraud – Where a fraudster sends a false invoice to a client ahead of the law firm sending their legitimate invoice
• Chief Executive Fraud – This occurs when a fraudster poses as a Chief Executive or superior advisor in a company creating a stressful situation where the receiver of the message feels they need to respond to the request of transferring monies urgently without questioning the validity of the message
• Friday afternoon Fraud – This occurs on the traditional day that conveyancing completions are taking place, where clients receive emails that appear to have come from their solicitor asking them to transfer their deposit to an alternative bank account. By taking place on a Friday, this also allows the fraudsters time over the weekend to move the money before anyone can realise and intervene.
• Identity fraud – This occurs when someone other than the legal owner of the property poses as the legal owner and tries to sell the property without the owner’s consent or knowledge.

If you have been a victim of cyber fraud, please contact us today for a free no obligation discussion by calling either our London, Marlow or High Wycombe offices or by email: cyberfraudclaims@curzongreen.co.uk