Update: 10/7/2021: We received a report of another scam. A Texas attorney received a request from an alleged Japanese company who wanted him to draft a contract and close a deal with a company in Dallas. The attorney gave him the retainer amount, and the scammer deposited money into the attorney’s bank account in excess of the retainer. Then the scammer asked him to refund the additional funds. The attorney talked to his bank and found out that it was a fraudulent transaction that was actually pulled from another bank account with the same bank. The bank is refunding the other bank customer and advised the attorney to stop all communication with the scammer. Now, the scammer is threatening to cause trouble for the attorney by contacting the State Bar and by saying he is not in compliance with IOLTA requirements. The scammer even contacted the attorney’s parents and called his mother by name.

The attorney has filed a report with the police department, and he is also filing a report with the FBI. He contacted the State Bar of Texas Chief Disciplinary Counsel’s Office and has spoken to the State Bar Membership Dept., who made a note on his record in case something comes up in the future. They also recommended that he update his IOLTA information with the Texas Access to Justice Foundation and that he call them to explain the situation, in case anything comes of it later.