March 3/20/26 Tech Tips

Don't get duped! Check for phishing scams that may be coming your way!

Common Scams

The first scam that is perhaps the most common is the impersonation scam. This is when a hacker attempts to gain access or get something from you by impersonating a person or company you know. This may be used to target passwords, data, money, or other personal information. This may look like a client, coworker, other law firm, or trusted company.

The second common scam is a legal representation scam. With much of the contacting lawyers being done these days with emails or phone calls, it is easy for scammers to fake being a client. One recent example involved a personal injury attorney who received an email from an individual seeking representation for a dog bite incident. The message appeared legitimate: it included detailed background information and even a photo of the alleged injury. The scammer claimed that the dog’s owner wanted to settle the matter privately and would send payment through the attorney. This is a classic setup for a bad check scam.

Thirdly, email security breaches are also a common scam. Scammers may pose as an email service company like Outlook or Gmail, and say your security has been breached. This is in hopes you will input your passwords or any other personal information to "recover" your account.

Suspicious Emails

The best way to tell if an email is phishing is if the email seems urgent. People tend to act without thinking when it's a matter of urgency, and don't bother checking or verifying the contents of the email. You can also tell if it's phishing if there are misspellings, odd phrases, or grammatical errors. However, with the rise of AI, those have become less obvious errors. If you receive an email, text, or other notification from someone you were not expecting to hear from, immediately be suspicious.

Defend Yourself

Aside from just being vigilant in detecting a phishing attempt, it is also best practice to contact people either over the phone, via video call, or in person whenever possible. This is especially important for new clients or contacts. Even if you receive an email or voicemail from someone you know, always contact them by phone or in person. This is the best verification method. If you ever do feel you've been scammed, be sure to contact us immediately so we can help minimize the risk.

I hope you have found these tech tips helpful! Please feel free to share these tips out or contact us with questions or comments.