Supreme Court disciplinary board warns of fraudster using website above and names of real Ohio attorneys to cheat victims in multi-state fee collection scheme.

Supreme Court disciplinary board warns of fraudster using website above and names of real Ohio attorneys to cheat victims in multi-state fee collection scheme.

A Toledo attorney has notified authorities that his name has been falsely associated with a fictitious law firm website that attempts to scam consumers out of money.

The state disciplinary board is warning lawyers and consumers about the alleged scam.

In an e-mail to the Ohio Supreme Court’s Board of Commissioners on Grievances & Discipline, the attorney described the scam this way:

“It is my understanding that the defrauder, who purports to be me, informs the victim that they are an attorney in possession of a check for a large sum of money payable to the victim. The check, however, has expired and they require the victim to pay a processing fee to reissue the check.”

The attorney said two people contacted him and asked if he had contacted them about a check. He learned that a licensed attorney in another state had her name and address also listed on the website www.burkelawoffices.us. A second Ohio lawyer’s name and address also appears on the website.

The attorney from Toledo submitted details about the scam to the FBI. To report a suspected online crime, contact the FBI at www.ic3.gov.