November 2024 – Potential scam purporting to involve Burges Salmon LLP
We have received a report that the email address ‘burgessalmonllb1@gmail.com’ has been used to communicate with a member of the public, who was invited to correspond in relation to a ‘business/investment’ opportunity.
Burges Salmon does not have any connection with this correspondence or the use of this email address. The firm’s genuine email domain is ‘@burges-salmon.com’. We have reported this issue to Action Fraud’s Suspicious Email Reporting Service and to the SRA.
Please contact your usual Burges Salmon contact or by using our web contact form if you have any concerns in relation to this alert.
August 2024 – Potential scam impersonating Burges Salmon lawyers
We have been made aware of the inappropriate use of the email domain ‘@burges-selmon.com’. The recipient of emails from this domain were asked to make a payment to an account which is not associated with Burges Salmon. The genuine email domain used by Burges Salmon and its people is ‘@burges-salmon.com’.
We have reported this incident to both the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) and Action Fraud.
Please contact us by a trusted/verified means or using our web contact form if you have any concerns in relation to this alert.
July 2024 – Potential scam purporting to involve a Burges Salmon employee and email address
We have been made aware of a potential scam purporting to use an email address and name of a Burges Salmon employee.
The email address burges.salmon@activist.com and the name Bryan Phillips (Operations Manager) has been used to communicate with a business in Finland. The email used contained an attachment purporting to be an ‘Authorization Letter’ which stated that it granted the recipient to lay claim to some property held in Dubai.
We have had sight of this document which contains a certification stamp, the use of the name Burges Salmon and our London based address and telephone number. This document is a fabrication, and we have no involvement in this matter. We do not employ a Bryan Phillips or use the activist.com domain. Our correct email domain is burges-salmon.com.
We have reported this incident to both the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) and Action Fraud.
Please contact us by a trusted/verified means or using our web contact form if you have any concerns in relation to this alert.
May 2024 – Individual purporting to represent Burges Salmon’s Resourcing team
We have received reports that an individual in the Bristol area has been approaching members of the public about career opportunities with the firm. This individual, who introduces himself as Haroon Shahid (which may not be their real name), is neither an employee of Burges Salmon nor otherwise known to the firm. It is also not the practice of our Resourcing team to make unsolicited approaches about such opportunities.
If you are in any doubt as to whether an individual is associated with Burges Salmon, please make contact with us using the telephone number listed on this website or on the SRA’s Solicitors Register.
April 2024 – Potential scam purporting to involve Burges Salmon Partner
We have been made aware of a potential scam purporting to involve one of our Partners, Richard Leeming.
We have been informed that the email address ‘richardleeming16@gmail.com’ has been used to send correspondence to a member of the public referring a potential inheritance.
Burges Salmon and Richard Leeming have no involvement in this matter. In particular, the firm’s email domain is ‘burges-salmon.com’.
Please contact us using trusted/verified means (for example, by using our web contact form), if you receive correspondence from this email address.
September 2023 – Potential inappropriate use of certification stamp involving Burges Salmon
We have been made aware of a potential issue involving the use of the signature of one of our Partners.
We have received sight of a document containing a certification stamp which appears to have been signed by Philip Beer. Neither Philip nor Burges Salmon have had any involvement with the drafting or certification of this document and we are therefore taking steps to report this issue as necessary (including to the SRA).
Please contact us by a trusted/verified means or using our web contact form if you have any concerns in relation to this alert.
September 2023 – Potential scam purporting to involve Burges Salmon Partners
We have been made aware of a potential scam purporting to use email addresses involving our Partner Suzanna Harvey.
The email address Suzanna.harvey@burges-salmon.online appears to have been used to communicate with a member of the public. There is also reference within the correspondence we have seen to the email addresses ann.metherall@burges-salmon.online and London.reception@burges-salmon.online. The telephone number +44 (0) 20 7685 1400 is stated within the correspondence as being connected to Burges Salmon’s office in London.
Burges Salmon, Suzanna Harvey does not have any connection with this correspondence or the use of these contact details. The firm’s correct email domain is ‘burges-salmon.com’ and the telephone number for our office in London is +44 (0) 20 7685 1200.
We are reporting these issues to the SRA and Action Fraud’s Suspicious Email Reporting Service.
Please contact us by a trusted/verified means or using our web contact form if you have any concerns in relation to this alert.
August 2023 – Potential scam purporting to involve Burges Salmon Partner and email address.
We have been made aware of a second potential scam purporting to involve one of our Partners, John Barnett.
The email address Johnbi2arnett@hotmail.com has been used to send correspondence to a member of the public, referring to an abandoned investment in a financial institution and potential inheritance.
Burges Salmon and John Barnett have no connection with this correspondence or the use of this email address (the firm’s correct email domain is ‘burges-salmon.com’). We are reporting the issue to the SRA and Action Fraud’s Suspicious Email Reporting Service.
Please contact us using trusted/verified means, or using our web contact form, if you receive correspondence from this email address.
May 2023 – Potential scam purporting to involve Burges Salmon Partner and email address.
We have been made aware of a potential scam purporting to involve one of our Partners, John Barnett.
The email address Johnisbarnett@hotmail.com has been used to send correspondence to a member of the public, referring to a potential inheritance or investment.
Burges Salmon and John Barnett have no connection with this correspondence or the use of this email address (the firm’s correct email domain is ‘burges-salmon.com’). We are reporting the issue to the SRA and Action Fraud.
Please contact us using trusted/verified means, or using our web contact form, if you receive correspondence from this email address.
December 2022 – Spoof emails purporting to have been sent from Burges Salmon.
We have recently been made aware of a scam involving an email address purportedly having been sent from Burges Salmon.
The email address burgessalmonllb1@gmail.com was fraudulently used in email communication to a business outside of the UK. The email is headed ‘INVESTMENT PROPOSAL’ and states we are seeking a Trust Private Partner (TPP) to invest in a viable business and that we need the assistance of a foreign partner to collaborate and invest £29m in a ‘lucrative business’ in their country.
burgessalmonllb1@gmail.com is not a Burges Salmon domain and the details contained within the email are completely false. We have reported this scam email to the police and the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Our genuine email domain is Burges-Salmon.com.
This scam continues to be investigated.
September 2022 – Fraudulent letters being purportedly written by and then sent from Burges Salmon.
We have recently been made aware of letters fraudulently being written and then sent from some of our Partners which provide fake verification regarding someone either residing in or having vacated a property. The latest letter was entitled ‘Verification of Tenant Ocupancy’ (sic), and was purportedly sent from our Edinburgh office by our Managing Partner, Roger Bull. These letters have in the main been sent to utility companies.
These letters have not been sent by or on behalf of Burges Salmon and we have no involvement in the creation of these letters. Should you receive a letter similar to these please notify us so we can investigate the matter.
May 2022 – Suspect emails being sent involving the misuse of the Burges Salmon name
We have recently been made aware of a scam involving an email name and address purportedly having been sent from Burges Salmon and an employee of ours called Mark Lockett.
The email domain ‘@burges-slamon.com’ was registered on the 21st March 2022 and has been fraudulently used in email communication between a mark.lockett@burges-slamon.com and a client a number of times over the past couple of months in order to commit fraud. Mark Lockett is a real member of Burges Salmon. Genuine emails from Burges Salmon however, only use the domain of ‘@burges-salmon.com’.
This scam continues to be investigated.
March 2022 – Suspect emails being sent involving the misuse of the Burges Salmon name
We have been made aware of a scam involving an email name and address purporting to having been sent from Burges Salmon and a lawyer named N.Naderi.
The scam email was sent to one of our clients from the email address n.naderi@razi.ac.ir with the header name being Burges Salmo. The email states that N.Naderi is a lawyer at Burges Salmon and they are representing a person who died of COVID 19 on board a cruise ship and relates to this persons estate. The email address used and the name N.Naderi is not a Burges Salmon email addresses and we do not have such a person working for us. Our genuine email domain is @burges-salmon.com and details of our Partners can be found on our website.
This scam has been reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Action Fraud.
July 2021: Scam alert involving the misuse of the Burges Salmon name, address and contact details
We have been made aware of a scam involving an email and letter purporting to represent the firm and one of its Partners.
The scam email was sent to a member of the public from the address bristoliannews@markshepherdburges-salmon.com. The email also mentions the email address Marksherpertburges@iol.com, phone numbers 02079804966, 07441 410209 and fax number 0117 992 4400. These are not Burges Salmon email addresses or contact numbers. Our genuine email domain is @burges-salmon.com . The scam email also included a fabricated letter purporting to be written and signed by a Melissa A. Ashburn. The firm does not employ such a person. Mark Shepherd is a partner at the firm but his genuine details can be found on this website along with our contact details.
This scam has been reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Action Fraud.
May 2021: Scam alert involving the misuse of the Burges Salmon name, address and contact details
We have been made aware of a scam involving an email and letter purporting to represent the firm and one of its Partners.
The scam email was sent to a client from the address philip-beer_burges-salmon@mail.co.uk. This is not a Burges Salmon email address. Our genuine email domain is @burges-salmon.com . The scam email also included a fabricated letter purporting to be written and signed by one of our Partners, Philip Beer. The letter had a contact telephone number of 0117 4090705. This telephone number is not a Burges Salmon number. Our genuine contact details are listed on this website.
March 2021: Scam alert involving the misuse of the Burges Salmon name
We have been made aware of a scam involving emails attempting to misuse the name of the firm.
The scam emails use the domains burgesandsalmon@outlook.com and burgesssalmonllb@gmail.com and purport to be from Burges Salmon. We do not use the names burgesandsalmon, burgesssalmonllb or gmail.comoutlook.com as our domain. This scam has been reported to the police and the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Genuine emails from Burges Salmon only use the domain of ‘@burges-salmon.com’.
General Scam/Fraud guidance
If you receive a communication purporting to be from Burges Salmon and you are in any doubt about whether or not it is genuine, please telephone your usual Burges Salmon contact to obtain confirmation or contact us at report@burges-salmon.com
We report fraudulent activities involving our name or the names of our lawyers and people to the relevant regulatory and law enforcement agencies. You can also report confirmed suspicious e-mails that you receive (also known as phishing e-mails) to the National Cyber Security Centre’s Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) at report@phishing.gov.uk
We will endeavour to highlight the major frauds, scams and impersonations we become aware of on this fraud alerts page, but unfortunately the increasing volume and type of frauds and scams means that it is impossible to prevent the misuse of the firm’s name and the names of our lawyers and people.
Warning: Money Transfers to Burges Salmon
Burges Salmon bank details will never change during a transaction. Please telephone to confirm our bank details using our contact numbers published in the Solicitors Register on the Solicitors Regulation Authority website before sending us any money.
Given recent high profile media cases regarding fraudulent alterations to bank account details, in particular those relating to law firms, please note that you cannot rely on any bank account details sent to you by e-mail without first verifying them with us, even if they appear to be from this firm.