Law firms should be on the lookout for a check similar to this making the rounds in Northeast Ohio.

Law firms should be on the lookout for a check similar to this making the rounds in Northeast Ohio.

Northeast Ohio law firms should be aware of a check scam making the rounds, according to Fred Harvey, senior investigator for KeyBank’s Great Lakes Region.

He contacted the Ohio Supreme Court’s Board of Commissioners on Grievances & Discipline about the scam to alert the state’s legal community.

Law firms receive a KeyBank certified check for $95,000 in the name of “Bernard Stilwell” with a routing number for an Oregon law firm that’s also a KeyBank client, Harvey said. The communication also includes instructions that the check is a retainer for future services.

“If any of the attorneys deposited the checks, I would assume someone is going to ask for at least some of the money back,” Harvey said.

KeyBank’s corporate investigations unit is trying to determine if the scope of the solicitation extends to other parts of Ohio.