The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in the United Kingdom has issued a warning about a new scam involving emails from fraudulent lawyers demanding Bitcoin payments. According to an alert on its website, recipients have received emails from addresses like “joyti.henchie@attwaters.co,” falsely claiming to have obtained all of the recipient’s personal data. The scam threatens to release compromising videos unless a Bitcoin payment is made.
UK Warns of Bitcoin Scam with Fake Solicitor Emails
The scam email, which includes a link to a Bitcoin wallet possibly containing malware, falsely attributes itself to the name “Patrice Joyce” and claims affiliation with legitimate firms like Attwaters Solicitors and Attwaters Jameson Hill Solicitors. However, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has confirmed that it does not authorize or regulate a lawyer named Patrice Joyce.
The SRA underscores that any business or communication originating from the email domain “@attwaters.co” is not associated with the authentic firms or individuals it regulates. Genuine emails from these firms use domains ending in “@attwaters.co.uk” or “@attwatersjamesonhill.co.uk.”
Manjot Kaur Henchie, also known as Joyti, is a genuine solicitor at the legitimate firm Attwaters Jameson Hill Solicitors. Both the firm and Henchie have confirmed they have no affiliation with the scam email.
The SRA recommends individuals exercise caution when receiving suspicious emails. They advise verifying the email’s authenticity by directly contacting the law firm through trusted channels and checking the SRA’s records to confirm the authorization of the individual or firm involved.
Rising Threat: Email Extortion Scams Targeting Bitcoin Payments
The UK regulator’s alert underscores the ongoing threat posed by email scams and underscores the importance of vigilance when responding to demands for payment, particularly in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.
In a similar incident in 2019, website owners using Google’s AdSense program were targeted in an email extortion scam. Scammers demanded Bitcoin payments under the guise of protecting against a supposed attack that could lead to AdSense account suspension.
In 2020, New Zealand law enforcement issued a warning about a cryptocurrency scam involving fraudsters who blackmailed victims by claiming to possess evidence of their online involvement in adult content. The scammers demanded Bitcoin ransoms, threatening to expose the victims if they did not comply with their demands.
