Client Alert: Beware of Fake Solicitor Websites
We wish to draw your attention to a sophisticated and increasing cyber‑threat targeting the legal sector across Australia. According to the Legal Practitioners’ Liability Committee (LPLC), cybercriminals are now creating near‑identical, fraudulent copies of legitimate law firms’ websites, complete with authentic-looking design, branding, staff information, and even secure HTTPS certificates. These clone sites often use domains that differ by only a single character from the real firm (for example, replacing “o” with “0”) to deceive clients and other professionals.
These spoofed sites are frequently used in phishing campaigns. Cybercriminals contact businesses or individuals with whom your firm interacts such as local partners or suppliers, luring them to engage via seemingly legitimate solicitations. Once engaged, those victims may receive malicious attachments or links disguised as PDFs or DocuSign requests. These can install malware, steal credentials, or enable ransomware attacks.
Why This Matters to You
- Scammers impersonating our firm may damage trust and cause confusion.
- Fake websites and phishing can lead to fraud, identity compromise, and client data breaches.
- Any resulting data breach might expose both you and our organisation to regulatory or compliance scrutiny.
Immediate Actions You Should Take
If you encounter a suspicious-looking website or correspondence that appears to be from our firm:
- Notify us immediately so we can contain and investigate the situation promptly.
- Verify any unexpected communications—always double-check against our official contact information; do not rely on links from the suspicious domain.
In Summary
Cyber threats continue to evolve, and impersonation scams such as cloned websites pose a real and growing risk. We are taking proactive measures to safeguard our clients, data, and reputation. We ask that you remain vigilant, particularly when receiving requests that appear to come from our firm. If anything appears out of place, please reach out using contact details you already have or those listed in your engagement letter.
Thank you for your trust. Together, we can stay secure and informed.