Alerts

Warning: Email misusing the name of Samantha Woods and Lewis and Dick Limited

23 January 2025

An email has been sent misusing the name of Samantha Woods and Lewis and Dick Limited.

What is the scam?

The SRA has seen an email falsely claiming to be from a genuine solicitor at a genuine firm of solicitors (see below). The email also misused the logo of the genuine firm.

The email requested the payment of a deposit in relation to a property transaction.

The email was sent from the email address 'crawley@lewis-dicks.co.uk'.

Any business or transaction through 'crawley@lewis-dicks.co.uk' is not undertaken by a firm or individual authorised and regulated by the SRA.

Is there a genuine firm or person?

The SRA authorises and regulates a genuine firm of solicitors called Lewis and Dick Limited. The firm's genuine email address for its Crawley office is 'crawley@lewis-dick.com' (no 's' after the word 'dick'.)

The SRA also authorises and regulates a genuine solicitor called Samantha Woods who is Director and Head of Conveyancing at the genuine firm.

The genuine firm and the genuine solicitor have confirmed that they have no connection to the email referred to in the above alert.

What should I do?

When a firm's or individual's identity has been copied exactly (or cloned), due diligence is necessary. If you receive correspondence claiming to be from the above firm(s) or individual(s), or information of a similar nature to that described, you should conduct your own due diligence by checking the authenticity of the correspondence by contacting the law firm directly by reliable and established means. You can contact the SRA to find out if individuals or firms are regulated and authorised by the SRA and verify an individual's or firm's practising details. Other verification methods, such as checking public records (e.g. telephone directories and company records) may be required in other circumstances.