[RPPTL-constructionlaw] FW: CLIENT SCAM ALERT RELATING TO CONSTRUCTION ATTORNEYS (FROM Broward County Bar Association Real Property Section)

Thu Oct 6 13:00:36 PDT 2011

Randy,

Thanks

Chuck

Highest regards, 

cid:image0066952.jpg

CONFIDENTIALITY: This electronic message transmission contains information
from the law firm Rogers, Morris & Ziegler LLP that is considered
confidential or privileged.  The information is intended solely for the
recipient and use by any other party is not authorized.  If you are not the
intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, copying, distribution or
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this electronic transmission in error, please notify me immediately by
telephone (954-462-1431).

From: constructionlaw-bounces at lists.flabarrpptl.org
[mailto:constructionlaw-bounces at lists.flabarrpptl.org] On Behalf Of Randall
Gilbert
Sent: Thursday, October 06, 2011 3:30 PM
To: RPPTL constructionlaw
Subject: [RPPTL-constructionlaw] FW: CLIENT SCAM ALERT RELATING TO
CONSTRUCTION ATTORNEYS (FROM Broward County Bar Association Real Property
Section)

Sincerely yours,

Randall Gilbert, Esq.

Board Certified Construction Lawyer

Randall-GilbertConstruction-Law

From: Gary M. Singer [mailto:gary at gardenhometitle.ccsend.com] On Behalf Of
Gary M. Singer
Sent: Thursday, October 06, 2011 2:46 PM
To: Randall Gilbert
Subject: Broward County Bar Association Real Property Section

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Broward County Bar Association

Attention: Real Property Section Members

Thanks to M. Scott Kleiman of Kalis & Kleiman for bringing this scam to our
attention and allowing us to share it with you.

 scam alert <http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs002/1102378673872/img/122.jpg> 

My office was contacted through Avvo, a professional social networking site
about a matter which is a London-based scam. In this very well constructed
scam, an alleged architect by the name of Ken Greig is claiming that he is
due about $100,000.00 for design work done for a Coral Gables couple, Bruno
Gorgatti and Julianne Pavageau. Gorgatti and Pavageau are real people living
in Coral Gables. Greig provides significant and detailed information about
how he met Gorgatti and Pavageau, the work he contracted to do, how Gorgatti
and Pavageau paid for the work, etc. There is a signed contract for the work
for about $200,000. The information on the property and how Gorgatti and
Pavageau acquired it - a purchase from a bank after a foreclosure is
entirely accurate. There is even a professional multipage website for the
architectural firm that performed the work.  All emails are signed:

Ken Greig

 Greig & Stephenson
St. Margaret's House
18-20 Southwark Street
London SE1 1TJ
M: +44 (0) 702 4043235 (Mobile)
 T / +44 (0)20 3286 9866 (Office)
F / +44 (0)20 3286 9888  (Office Fax)

Company No: 310 1088

VAT No:672306934

 Directions / Greig & Stephenson is on the corner of Southwark Street and
Stoney Street close to London Bridge with its numerous bus and mainline
train services. The Northern (City Branch) and Jubilee tube lines both serve
the nearby London Bridge underground station. Leave the platforms following
the signs to Borough High Street - the steps up to the right after the
barriers bring you almost to the door.

-- 

Greig wants to retain you so he can use your office's name as "local
counsel" in the effort to collect the remaining amounts. He then notifies
you that he has contacting Gorgatti, who will be delivering a check to pay
the balance and, for the use of your name, you can retain a disproportionate
fee, in the case with my office, he proposed $5,000.00 as a legal fee for
less than an hour of work. A few days later a cashier's check drawn on
SunTrust arrives payable to your firm. It is an actual SunTrust cashier's
check; however, it has been "washed" so as to alter the amounts, the payee
and the memo information.  In the case involving my office, the cashier's
check had been issued 4 months earlier for $9500.00. SunTrust indicated that
there were other minor alterations as well.  I gathered that information by
taking the  a copy of the check to a local branch. It was not until 3 days
later that SunTrust gave actual notification that the check was not good.

There were telling signs after the initial contact that this could be a
scam. The consistent refusal of Greig to permit any contact with Gorgatti or
Pavageau was one. Some of the subsequent emails had those "catch" phrases
you find in the clear scam emails - such as closing with "greetings to" or
"my best to you and your family", and "my hopes that you have a good day."
The email in which the fact that a check will be arriving notes that it will
be arriving by United States Postal Service and then it shows up by FedEx
International from London. As soon as the check arrives, Greig begins
calling looking for disbursement by wire.  

These individual factors were enough to question the legitimacy of this
matter, even before the check arrived. The Secret Service indicated that
this was one of the better constructed scams targeting attorneys. Several
South Florida firms were contacted by Greig. Apparently, some losses were
suffered by Atlanta attorneys who failed to wait on the clearance of the
cashier's check prior to wiring out funds in a similar scam run there.

This and the other examples provided are good reasons to have funds wired to
you instead of delivered by cashier's check, particularly where banks are
not clearing those funds immediately.

M. Scott Kleiman, Esq.                                                   
Kalis & Kleiman, P.A.
7320 Griffin Road, Suite 109
Davie, Florida 33314
Telephone: 954-791-0477
Office Fax : 954-791-0506
Direct E-Mail: SKleiman at KalisKleiman.com
Office E-Mail: KalisKleiman at KalisKleiman.com
Website:  www.Kaliskleiman.com
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Best Regards,

Gary M. Singer

Serving Families and Businesses

Law Firm of Gary M. Singer, P.A.

4577 Nob Hill Road

Suite 206

Sunrise, FL 33351

ph. 954-851-1448

fax 954-252-2189

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