The Law Office Of David W. HolubThe Law Office Of David W. Holub

The Law Office Of David W. HolubThe Law Office Of David W. Holub

How To Avoid Being Ripped Off By A Fake Law Firm

Over the last year the number of people calling us about being ripped off by a fake lawyer or law firm has been on the rise. Yes, I did say fake. And, evidently through the power of “cut and paste” websites these “want to be” lawyers have convinced enough people that they are indeed real.

One caller said she shelled out hundreds of dollars just to tell her story. And, they wanted even more money to start her claim. Another caller revealed he had given, whom he thought was a real attorney, his credit card number only to be swindled out of thousands of dollars, then had to spend countless hours trying to rescind all the bogus charges racked up on his card. A caller just the other day said the firm they had thought they “hired” had the name of a once legit firm out of New York that had filed bankruptcy (not a well publicized bankruptcy though) so she thought she had an attorney. She had lots of phone calls. Never signed anything though.

You might be thinking, “why didn’t they do their due diligence?”

Why didn’t they check these attorneys out?

Well, from experience, I can tell you that when we receive a call from someone who has been injured, they are not thinking as a cautious person would think. For the most part their guard is down. They are looking for answers. They want direction. They think that if a person has a website they must be legitimate. They want to hear that someone is going to help them, represent them and defend them. They want to know that the person will be there every step of the way.

Sadly, if the person they are calling gives them that sense of security, that everything is going to be alright, it makes it easier for the scam to occur. Look up the definition of the word grifter. These fake law firms prey upon people and gain their confidence.

The fact is, that rarely do people ever look for an attorney unless they have experienced some crisis, injury or injustice. Unfortunately, by then, their cognitive thinking is in panic mode and they are scrambling to find someone.

In some areas of the United States the amount of phony legal firms being reported is almost 1 a day. So how do they do it? How do they convince people to call them?

These con artists create bogus websites, filled with copied images, slogans and even names of real lawyers to give an air of credibility. Some of these sites have even mirrored articles, cases and even testimonials off real law firm sites to add to the illusion of being a legitimate firm.

So how do these fake lawyers make money?

Well, these scammers require up-front funds. They state these fees are for processing your case, for administration work, or the cost to pull your file. But once they get the money, they come up with excuse after excuse why your case has slowed down or they just don’t return your calls at all.

Here are 5 tips to avoid being taken by a fake law firm.

1) Always meet your lawyer in person at their office.

2) Never pay for anything online or over the phone.

3) Ask around, get a referral from someone you know and trust.

4) Dive deeper into their online reputation, notice any inconsistencies.

5) Ask a lot of questions, look for congruent answers.

So why do we share this information?

We share it so that when it comes time to select the right attorney for your needs you have the knowledge to choose wisely and get the absolute best representation for your case.

For us, the whole team, here at the Law Offices of David W. Holub believe first and foremost it’s a matter of trust. We want you to know that if you or a loved one has been injured we are here for you, we will fight for you, we will educate you and we will always keep you in the loop regarding your case.

The firm concentrates in personal injury cases of all types, medical malpractice, and wrongful death litigation. We work tirelessly to serve each client aggressively and with empathy, to communicate regularly and clearly, and to obtain prompt and favorable results, while adhering to the highest standards of excellence and integrity. Our team considers it a high honor to be called upon to serve our clients whom we often come to regard as our friends.

If you’ve been injured and are looking for answers we invite you to make use of the information on our website, ask friends about us, check us out, and then call our law office at (219)736-9700 to schedule a time to talk directly to us and see firsthand why we are the right law firm for you.

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