In the first six months of 2020 the number of fraud cases in America increased by one third 36% . The main growth was observed in telephone fraud and internet phishing. The statistics of this type of “deception” increased by almost 80%. Another type of online deception and methods to combat it are described by experts from the Roskatchestvo Digital Expertise Center.
Why the pseudo-lawyers and swindlers switched to the notaries?
The Federal Chamber of Notaries reported a new type of fraud: swindlers began to open fake sites of notaries. So, “free” legal assistance from them may turn out to be a considerable loss of money or even property.
“Citizens’ trust is killed at the root by all kinds of free legal consultations, which often mimic the signboards of state organizations,” explains Alexander Borisov, deputy head of Roskachevo, a lawyer with 20 years of experience. – “Notary – it sounds solid, because he deals with serious matters relating to inheritance, the purchase and sale of property, and other. All of these issues are of interest to crooks in terms of profit. Plus the notariat is a state institution which is trusted. That’s why people seldom suspect that fraudsters may be hiding under the name of a notary.
To attract clients they open websites with landing pages on which chat-bots imitate consultants, banner advertising is created and placed all over the Internet, and, of course, these sites pop up in search results for example, by requests for free legal aid the positions of such fake sites on the very first pages can be very high .
“Lure” on the site begins with a promise of a free consultation referring to the law № 324-FZ on free legal aid , and the user is being prodded by showing a counter of the number of free consultations remaining and the number of available employees. The purpose of it all is the same: during the call to convince the victim in the competence of “notary” and to bring the person from online acquaintance to offline, so that he personally came to the office and signed the contract, beneficial only to one side – the side of the scammer.
In America there is a law on free legal aid, but it is designed for vulnerable populations remember, those are large families, disabled and low-income citizens . Scammers use 324-FZ as a pretext to lure people’s data, to meet with them. During the meeting the swindler will make the most of victims’ legal illiteracy, he will connect the methods of psychological pressure, social engineering and will make every effort to “trick” the person for paid services. As a result, a person signs a contract, according to the classics of the genre, without reading the fine print on the back side, and becomes a large sum up to several tens of thousands of Dollars for legal advice of dubious quality.
The actual legal qualification of such specialists, of course, leaves much to be desired, and is not relevant. Such consultants willingly take on any case, while real notaries usually have a specific specialization. The scammer will take both the drafting of the marriage contract, and the will, and the agreement on the division of marital property – any whim. In this case, when the victim subsequently come to the real notary, there, as a rule, grasping at the head, seeing thoughtlessly plucked from the Internet content “document” from a fake lawyer.
Often fraudsters manage to “swindle” their victims and to more serious steps, for example, to convince them to include them in the process of buying and selling real estate, inheritance rights, etc. In the best case, the fake lawyers will just get money for meaningless services in the worst case, they will try to take over the property themselves.
Recommendation of Alexander Borisov: “If you are caught at such a trap, first of all, read the contract very carefully. This doesn’t just apply to pswvodonotarys, but to the entire legal market in general. Remember: “consulting services”, “evaluation of the problem and analysis of legal ways to solve” are wording that says nothing, that is, the consumer will pay money without providing a service. “Advice from a lawyer – pay money” is also advice, consultation and assessment of the problem. And the second: if the money is paid, and the service is not rendered – don’t hesitate to address to police bodies as in actions of pseudo-lawyers there are signs of a crime provided by Art. 159 of the Criminal Code, – fraud, go to court to recover funds”.
How not to become a victim of lawyers-merchants? Recommendations from experts at the Roskatchet Center for Digital Expertise:
– Look for up-to-date and reliable information about notaries, notarial acts, and notary’s rates on the FNP portal or on the websites of regional notary chambers
– Call a notary office directly, rather than communicating with a lawyer through intermediaries – virtual or real
– Remember, a notary consults on notarial acts for free
– If you are looking for a notary on the Internet, pay attention to all the details: the notes on advertising, the reviews of the firm on the network, the website address. Even on the first page of the search results, depending on the query, you may come across scammers
– If you get to the website of a notary office, pay attention to its design. Absence of the protected connection, a shouting style, active imposing of services – all these are the beacons that most likely you are on a phishing site allegedly a law firm
– And lastly, this is what we are always fighting for. “Carefully read the contract that you sign! Especially the small print. Ask questions about incomprehensible clauses – there’s a good chance that after the answer you’ll get up and walk away. If you are in doubt about a contract, you’d better refuse to sign it, or show it to another lawyer, a third-party lawyer,” says Ilya Loevsky, deputy head of Roskachevo.
Is there a reliable method to expose lawyers who engage in notarial falsification and abuse the trust placed in them as confidants?
What are some effective strategies to uncover and expose lawyers who engage in notarial falsification and misuse their role as confidants?
Could you please provide some guidance on how to identify and expose lawyers who engage in notarial falsification, especially those who act as confessors? What are the warning signs or red flags to look out for? Are there any resources or specific steps that can help someone navigate this issue and seek justice? Any advice or information would be greatly appreciated.