Alerts
Warning: Emails misusing the name of Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP
20 November 2024
Emails claiming to be from 'Alice Hollingsworth' and 'Mitchelle Whitfield' of Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP, regarding supposedly unpaid invoices.
What is the scam?
Emails have been sent from 'Alice Hollingsworth' and 'Mitchelle Whitfield', misusing the name and postal address of a genuine firm of solicitors (see below).
The emails seen by the SRA advise the recipients that an invoice is overdue. The emails are signed off by 'Alice Hollingsworth' or 'Mitchelle Whitfield, who are referred to as 'Lawyer/ Debt Collection Litigation Counsel'. The emails were sent from the email addresses ''alice.hollingsworth@shepherdwedderburn.net' and 'mitchelle.whitfield@shepherdswedderburn.co.uk' and provide a telephone contact number of '02032879329'.
The SRA does not authorise and regulate anyone by the name of 'Alice Hollingsworth' or 'Mitchelle Whitfield'.
Any business or transaction through the email addresses 'alice.hollingsworth@shepherdwedderburn.net' or 'mitchelle.whitfield@shepherdswedderburn.co.uk', or the telephone number '02032879389', is not undertaken by a firm or individual authorised and regulated by the SRA.
Is there a genuine firm or person?
The SRA authorises and regulates a firm of solicitors called Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP. The firm is also authorised and regulated by the Law Society of Scotland.
All emails from the firm end with the domain @shepwedd.com. The firm's London branch office address is Octagon Point, 5 Cheapside, London, EC2V 6AA. The firm's London office can be contacted on 020 7429 4900.
Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP has confirmed that it has no genuine connection to the above emails and it does not employ members of staff called Alice Hollingsworth or Mitchelle Whitfield.
What should I do?
When a firm's or individual's identity has been copied exactly (or cloned), due diligence is necessary. If you receive correspondence claiming to be from the above firm(s) or individual(s), or information of a similar nature to that described, you should conduct your own due diligence by checking the authenticity of the correspondence by contacting the law firm directly by reliable and established means. You can contact the SRA to find out if individuals or firms are regulated and authorised by the SRA and verify an individual's or firm's practising details. Other verification methods, such as checking public records (e.g. telephone directories and company records) may be required in other circumstances.
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