Alerts

Warning: Correspondence misusing the name of ABK Solicitors Limited

12 April 2023

Letters have been sent to members of the public that falsely claim to be from ‘Barkat Ullah Khan’ of ‘ABK Solicitors’ in relation to a supposed inheritance.

What is the scam?

Letters have been sent to members of the public via fax referring to a supposedly unclaimed “Payable-on-Death” permanent life insurance policy. The letters falsely claim to be from 'Barkat Ullah Khan' of 'ABK Solicitors' (see below).

The letters seen by the SRA ask the recipient for consent to claim the life insurance policy. The letters advise that 10% of the proceeds will go to charity, while the remaining 90% is shared between the recipient and 'ABK Solicitors.'

The letters provide the email addresses of 'info@abklawuk.com,' 'Khan@abklawuk.com' and 'barkatkhanuk@gmail.com,' with a website address of 'www.abklawuk.com' The letter further provides a telephone number of '+44 7442562820' and a fax number of '+44177 535 0058'.

The letters also misuse the genuine postal address of a genuine firm (see below).

Any business or transactions through the above email addresses, website, telephone number and fax number are not undertaken by a firm or individual authorised and regulated by the SRA.

Is there a genuine firm or person?

The SRA authorises and regulates a genuine firm called ABK Solicitors Limited. Its genuine office address is Continental House, 497 Sunleigh Road, Wembley, Middlesex, HA0 4LY, England.

The genuine contact number for ABK Solicitors Limited is 02079988210 and the genuine fax number is 02070189130.

The genuine websites for ABK Solicitors Limited are www.abksolicitors.com and www.abksolicitors.co.uk. The genuine websites for the firm are still under construction. The genuine email addresses for the firm are contact@abksolicitors.com and info@abksolicitors.com.

The SRA authorises and regulates a genuine solicitor called Barkat Ullah Khan who is employed at ABK Solicitors Limited.

The genuine firm of ABK Solicitors Limited has confirmed neither it nor the genuine Barkat Ullah Khan who is employed have a genuine connection to the letters or contact details referred to in the above alert.

What should I do?

When a firm's or individual's identity has been copied exactly (or cloned), due diligence is necessary. If you receive correspondence claiming to be from the above firm(s) or individual(s), or information of a similar nature to that described, you should conduct your own due diligence by checking the authenticity of the correspondence by contacting the law firm directly by reliable and established means. You can contact the SRA to find out if individuals or firms are regulated and authorised by the SRA and verify an individual's or firm's practising details. Other verification methods, such as checking public records (e.g. telephone directories and company records) may be required in other circumstances.