Facts:
It has come to the Bar Council’s attention that a legal firm recently received a bogus phone call purporting to be from a reputable software company’s customer service. The bogus caller had full details of the legal firm’s name including the lawyer’s full name and enquired about the computers and its system including the software versions used in the firm, serial numbers, numbers of computers etc. The lawyer was also informed that random calls to customers were part of the software company’s practice.
The legal firm called the software company represented and received a confirmation from the company that they do not conduct/authorise random calls to customers. The legal firm has also confirmed that the call did not originate from their usual computer vendor.
Risk Management Tips:
- Avoid opening and responding to email from senders you do not know or downloading any attachments or clicking on any links. Such email may be phishing email sent for the purpose of obtaining personal/firm information from you.
- Be vigilant at all times, even if the caller is able to provide you with specific information! Scammers may obtain information about you that are publicly available (eg Legal directory, firm’s website, social media etc) to bolster their credibility and phish for further information.
- Apart from software companies, suspicious calls may also be made by persons purporting to be from other organisations, such as banks. Inform the caller that you will call back on the company’s general helpline. Do not make calls to the numbers provided by the caller as they may be part of the scam.
- Some software companies are aware that there are bogus calls being made in the company’s name and have issued guidelines on dealing with such suspicious calls. Check the software companies websites for such information or call them directly to verify.