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Fraud Alert

Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP (Davies) is aware of fraudulent schemes by third parties who may impersonate our firm, our lawyers or other representatives of our firm through email, telephone, text message, letter, social media or instant message. Their goal is typically to trick you into making a payment or disclosing personal or confidential information.

The following are some examples of fraudulent activity that have been reported across the legal industry, including to our firm and to other firms:

  • Emails sent from domain names designed to closely mimic @dwpv.com.
  • Emails that impersonate our firm in an attempt to redirect payment of a legitimate invoice to an unauthorized bank account. Do not trust any email instructing you to change where you send your money.
  • Letters or emails falsely stating that Davies is administering an inheritance, legal proceeding or financial transaction involving a person unknown to the recipient.
  • Phone calls, emails or instant messages from someone posing as a Davies lawyer, pressing you to discuss a purportedly urgent and confidential matter and requesting a payment.
  • Social media accounts or online advertisements falsely offering fund recovery or similar services under the Davies name, often targeting individuals who have already fallen victim to a prior scam.
  • Unsolicited employment offers that ask for personal information, banking details or upfront fees as a condition of a job with the firm.
  • Forged agreements, invoices or other documents that incorporate the Davies name, logo or branding.

How to Recognize a Fraudulent Communication

All legitimate Davies email correspondence is sent from an address ending in @dwpv.com. If you receive an email from any other domain – even one that looks similar to dwpv.com – it is not from us and should be treated with suspicion. We do not conduct firm business through messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Telegram or Snapchat, nor do we use personal email providers such as Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo for professional purposes. We will never request payment through messaging platforms such as WhatsApp or Telegram.

We encourage you to exercise caution with any unexpected communication that claims to come from our firm, particularly if it creates a sense of urgency or asks you to act in confidence.

Fraudulent Websites

You should also be aware that fraudulent websites may have been created to impersonate Davies and our professionals. Our only official website is www.dwpv.com. Any other website purporting to represent the firm is not authorized by us.

Protecting Yourself

If you receive a communication that you suspect may be fraudulent, we recommend the following:

  • Do not click on any links or open any attachments contained in the message.
  • Do not reply to the sender or engage with them in any way.
  • Do not transfer funds, share banking information or disclose personal or confidential details.

Do not engage with the sender. Preserve the communication if you need to report it, and follow the instructions of your IT department, financial institution or local authorities. If you are unsure whether a communication is genuinely from Davies, please verify by contacting the Davies representative(s) you typically deal with or through the information on our official website at www.dwpv.com. You should never rely on contact details included in a message you consider suspicious.

If you believe you have been the target of a fraudulent communication involving the Davies name, we encourage you to report it to the appropriate authorities:

If you have suffered a financial loss as a result of such a communication, we also recommend that you file a report with your local police service.