Fish & Richardson: The Latest Scam Target
If you are going to run a scam involving fraudulent checks, is it wise to use an account that belongs to a law firm? Texas Lawyer reports that check scammers have been telling people to cash fraudulent checks drawn against a Fish & Richardson account at Bank of America. Apparently the scam is not working:
As soon as people started contacting the firm last December with questions about Fish & Richardson checks they had received in the mail, the Boston-based firm notified its bank that someone was trying to pass counterfeit checks written on a firm account. Most recently, on Oct. 5, the firm learned from its bank that someone tried unsuccessfully to cash one of the checks, suggesting the scammers may have mailed a new round of letters, says Kelly Largey, chief marketing officer for the 418-lawyer firm.The checks were sent to people around the country — including at least five in Texas — with cover letters telling recipients to cash the checks, and to send some of the money to the sender for “processing fees” or to a “mystery shopper, and keep the rest of the money.”
If you were going to try this, wouldn’t you run this scheme against a bicycle shop, or a cosmetics company, or some institution that isn’t as meticulous as a freaking law firm?
And it’s not like Fish & Richardson is being loose with its money these days. The firm is closing offices and cutting departments.
In any event, consider this a Public Service Announcement: if you receive a check from Fish & Richardson, don’t cash it.
Fish & Richardson Battles Scammers Writing Fake Checks on Firm’s Bank Account [Texas Lawyer]
Another Law Firm—Fish & Richardson— Says Scammers Hijacked Its Accounts [ABA Journal]
(25) 
Comments
first
Something smells fishy ...
"In any event, consider this a Public Service Announcement: if you receive a check from Fish & Richardson, don’t cash it. "
This includes paychecks, F&R employees.
This smells fishier than Mancision's burning bush.
F&R quickly realized there was a problem since it has no money.
damn you, 2
4 > 2
Not 4
418 lawyers? Not anymore.
Why is it that vaginas are often associated with fish?
I would run the scam against organizations that have more financial wherewithal than business acumen, i.e., BigLaw.
From what I understand, the management is PISSED about this. They're on the war path.
Here's a statement from the partner tasked with managing this crisis, setting forth his plan of action when he captures the parties responsible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAddWawlwy8
Check one, check one, isn't this a lot of fun?
hey, those F&R secretaries just wanted some severance like they deserved....
Anyone check out WilmerHale's website recently? They have a huge headlining story about the death of the billable hour. Are they ready to change fee structures?!
WHAT WAS THE FINAL OFFER RATE FOR THIS SUMMER AT FISH?
0% 10% 20%?
they noticed the fraud bc the cheques bounced
9, there are only two things in this world that smell like fish. And one of them is fish.
Fish and Richardson is a very bad firm. Any firm that fires its incoming associates before they even begin is a bad firm in my book.
Also, McDermott Will and Emery was horrible this summer, plus they're now defending a violent takeover of the government. Not a good firm.
When I was at a certain mid-pack law school in New England, Fish and Richardson had the fucking gall to offer an UNPAID summer associate position to our class. Same workload as the kids from Harvard or BC or whatever, just without a paycheck. Go fucking implode, you asses.
We need to bomb unpaid internships back to the stoneage!
-DOJ Secure
I find it very telling that the banner ad is for a video game...
"If you were going to try this, wouldn’t you run this scheme against a bicycle shop, or a cosmetics company, or some institution that isn’t as meticulous as a freaking law firm?"
The scammers aren't stealing from F&R. F&R is a collateral victim because of damage to its reputation and the annoyances of fixing its bank account and fending off angry phone calls. But the real victims are the people to whom the scammers send the checks.
The scam works like this:
1. Scammer sends a bad check to a random person with a letter saying the person has been selected to participate in a "mystery shopper" promotion. Usually the victim is asked to "try out" an anonymous money transfer service like Western Union by sending part of the money from the check to the scammer. As "thanks" for doing this mystery shopping, the victim can keep the rest of the check.
2. Victim takes the check to his bank and cashes it. Most banks these days will credit the victim's account before they have a chance to verify that the check is legit. Victim sees credit in his bank account and withdraws part of it to wire to the scammer.
3. A few days later, the bank figures out that the check is bad and debits the victim's check for the full amount of the check. The victim has essentially no recourse since bank rules typically make it the victim's "fault" if he deposits a bad check.
22, I suspect the article about the craigslist ad for the person who is "starting my own law firm, and will be soon opening my law firm based in downtown NY..." is a similar type of scam. Some idiot will wire money to "reserve" their spot or for some made up emergency purpose and then never hear from the poster again.
Bad grammar on craigslist is usually a sign of a scam.
In other news, I am ecstatic that the Star Trek douches over at Fish have to deal with this. I am currently cracking open a beer toasting to the idea that the shithole that is Fish & Richardson will soon implode. Your firm deserves absolutely no respect from anyone in the legal industry. You treat your people like crap, and you needlessly fired incoming associates on their graduation day. I will never forget what your firm did to a few of my friends, and I hope you all go down in flames.
And another thing: the day you are laid off is the day that F&R cancels your flex spending account. They actually take it from you. Yeah, $3k is a "drop in the bucket" but still... Why kick you when you're already down? Spend your flex $ asap and don't be a stinking fish in this pond:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhqvF_bZs68
Five bucks says it was a disgruntled former employee (or group thereof).