Reports of fake law firms have increased by 125% in the last two years, according to figures from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).

Criminals are pretending to be genuine lawyers to try to con clients. The SRA, which regulates solicitors in England and Wales, said it recorded 701 reports about bogus law firms in 2014, up from 312 in 2012. It follows a warning from the Law Society of Scotland that the number of fake firms is on the rise. "The type of thing is [when] you receive a text message or email that tells you that you can claim compensation when you have no reason to expect that you can," said Paul Philip, chief executive of the SRA. "Or that a distant relative has died and if you pass on your bank details then they will pass on a large amount of money to you."

'Shocking'

A minority of cases are far more sophisticated, with criminals posing as solicitors to get involved in transactions worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. In 2013, Mohamed Imran Noorgat, and his wife Aishah, were buying a flat in London. The conveyancer they used to handle the purchase was genuine but the solicitor on the other side was not. They had no idea until all their money had been handed over to him and he suddenly stopped answering emails.....Read more here