Increasingly in the last 12 months the media has reported numerous stories about criminals hacking emails and stealing money from Clients when they are sending monies to their Solicitor or vice versa. Our conveyancing solicitors provide the following guidance on how to avoid being a victim of cyber crime.
With this appalling type of crime in the forefront of Solicitors minds, here are 10 tips to protect yourself when sending or receiving monies from your Solicitor in property transactions:
- Call your Solicitor at the start of the transaction and discuss when you will need to send monies and ask about the process of requesting monies from you. . This way you are clear when and how they will provide their bank details to you.
- Ask your Solicitor to post their bank details to you.
- If you receive an email from your Solicitor about sending monies, speak to your Solicitor to make sure it is them who are asking for your money.
- Never send monies before calling your Solicitor and confirming the bank details over the phone.
- Once the money has been sent, call and confirm to your Solicitor that the money has been sent and ask your Solicitor to check and let you know when they have received your monies.
- If your bank details are requested from your Solicitor, send your bank details in the post or provide them in person.
- Ask your Solicitor to call you and confirm your bank details over the phone before they send monies to the account which you have provided. Do not send this request my email.
- If you choose to send your bank details by email call your Solicitor to tell them that you have emailed them with your bank details and confirm with them the time and date of the email.
- Avoid changing your bank details during your transaction
- Ask your Solicitor on the phone when the money will be sent to you and when you should receive the monies.
Josiah Hincks are vigilant in protecting our Clients money when it is being transferred by bank transfer. We will never change our bank details during your transaction.
Our tips can be used when transferring monies to any business and our last tip is, never send monies until you are 100% sure that it is a genuine request and that bank details are correct.
Should you wish to find out any further information on the above, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0116 255 1811 or email Sam Deakin on SDeakin@josiahhincks.co.uk.
