Like many reputable law firms, Reed Smith’s brand and the names of its lawyers and employees are attractive targets for perpetrators of fraud. Their scams can take many forms and are continually evolving.

Copyright Infringement Scam: This involves a bad actor claiming to be from a law firm who is representing the copyright owner of an image you are using on your website. These bad actors will use AI generated lawyers’ names along with an actual law firm’s domain name to trick you into responding. They will also include an irrelevant legal document to further the scam. The end goal of these bad actors is to receive some fraudulent payment to settle a nonexistent copyright matter or steal your login credentials. If you are in doubt of the legitimacy of a Reed Smith communication, please send it along using the link below.

Counterfeit check scam: The firm has been made aware of a scam whereby individuals attempt to use counterfeit Reed Smith checks to commit fraud on unsuspecting third parties. The third parties are instructed to deposit the check and, when the funds seem to be available, wire money back to the sender – before the check is ultimately determined to be counterfeit by the bank. The wired funds are usually not recoverable.

Use caution in relation to any unexpected or unusual communications. Never deposit unsolicited checks into your bank account until you confirm they are legitimate, and do not wire money back to the sender.

If you receive a suspicious or unexpected communication from someone purporting to be from Reed Smith, please check the authenticity of the correspondence by emailing us.