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03/11: Collaborative Divorce Settlement Party Needs Counsel to Collect Settlement Funds - Fraud
I received the following inquiry today:"My name is Judith Foster. I am a contacting your firm in regards to a divorce settlement with my ex husband Paul Masato) who resides in your jurisdiction. I am currently on assignment in Japan. We had an out of court agreement(Collaborative Law Agreement) for him to pay $448,450.00 plus legal fees. He has only paid me $44,000 since.
I am hereby seeking your firm to assistance in collecting the balance from him. He has agreed already to pay me the balance but it is my belief that a Law firm like yours is needed to help me collect payment from my ex-husband or litigate this matter if he fails to pay as promised.
Sincerely Judith Foster"
This is a scam! I have received similar propositions from Craigslist.org. The idea is that the con artist sends a cashier's check asking you to deposit it, take your fees, and return the balance - but the cashier's check is rubber. The check should be turned over to the FBI and the Attorney General should be informed.
If you receive an inquiry or a proposition that sounds questionable, Google the language of the scam. For example, with this scam, I Googled "Judith Foster" and found several postings on other websites discussing the scam. Never give out your personal information and if ever accepting a check for payment, make sure the check has cleared the payor's bank before using the funds.