Fraudulent communications and attempted scams  

While scams may take many forms, we have set out below some typical features that we, and other professional services firms, have seen:

• An unusual originating email address: all genuine Mills & Reeve email addresses use a standard form – [email protected]. Any communication purporting to be from Mills & Reeve but not using this email format is likely fraudulent. Please also be aware that email addresses can be spoofed, so you should check that the reply-to address is not unusual.  Scammers have previously used “lookalike” domains such as name@mills&reeve.com.
• Change in bank account details: Mills & Reeve will never advise of a change in our bank account details in the body of an email, text message or voice note. It would also be highly unusual for us to advise of our general bank account details in the body of an email (as opposed to a separate attachment, letter or invoice). If you receive an email of this nature, you should check on the telephone with a Mills & Reeve person known to you or contact us on 0344 880 2666 before making payment to the account provided.
• Receiving unsolicited messages: these types of communication may offer you an unexpected sum of money (for example, from a purported inheritance or litigation settlement) or they may contain speculative investment opportunities (often with unrealistic rates of return). They may also put forward business opportunities that are unusual or which do not make sense. Law firms’ credentials and details are often used to lend credibility to these scams.   
• Email missing invoice attachment: scammers may intentionally leave out attachments to emails and make mistakes in anticipation that you will respond and request further information. In doing so, they seek to establish rapport and trust. Please check the email address used before responding to any such emails, and if you have any concerns, please call your Mills & Reeve contact or call us on 0344 880 2666. 
• Urgency: scammers may threaten legal action if you do not respond urgently, or they may request (usually out of the blue) urgent payment of a fabricated invoice or allege that payment is urgently required in connection with an on-going transaction or dispute.  
• Freelance websites: scammers may use freelance websites such as Fiverr to impersonate the firm and/or our members of staff, and they may offer services at ‘discounted’ rates. None of our lawyers offer or advertise legal services through freelance or gig-work websites such as Fiverr, Upwork, or similar platforms.
• Unusual formatting: often scam attempts will contain poor spelling, grammar, formatting or language that feels inconsistent with professional correspondence.  

You may wish to consider taking the following precautionary steps:

• Be cautious before interacting with the message – for example, you may wish to hold off replying to the sender, opening attachments, or clicking on any links until you are sure it is genuine. 
• Take care not to transfer money or share personal or financial details unless you have independently confirmed that the request is authentic. Scammers often rely on people acting quickly.
• Check with us by calling your usual Mills & Reeve contact or our main switchboard on 0344 880 2666. 
• If you are still unsure, you may contact our Risk & Compliance Team at [email protected]. If possible, please include a copy of the communication so we can review it.

We routinely report scams involving the firm and/or our staff members to the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (the SRA). The SRA maintains a website detailing known scams involving UK law firms at http://www.sra.org.uk/alerts/. We would also encourage you to report the incident to Action Fraud at Reporting cyber crime and fraud or phishing attempts.  

In addition to verifying any suspicious communications with us, there are several other practical measures that you can take to reduce the risk of falling victim to fraudulent activity. These include the following:

• Check that the website of the firm you are dealing with contains the SRA digital badge.
• Check the firm’s and solicitor’s details on the SRA’s Solicitors Register.
• Wherever possible, enable multi‑factor authentication on your email and online accounts.
• Ensure your passwords are strong and unique. 
• Keep your antivirus, software and devices updated, as security updates often address vulnerabilities that scammers attempt to exploit. 
• Avoid accessing sensitive accounts while connected to public Wi‑Fi. 

January 2026: Impersonation in an immigration matter 

We were informed that letters and emails were being sent from domains such as [name]@millsandreevessolicitior.com and [name]@millsandreevesolicitor.com. The documents misused the firm’s name and logo. Two lawyers were impersonated in the fraudulent correspondence.

We have no connection to the above email addresses and have reported this to the SRA. Genuine communications from Mills & Reeve use the domain “@mills-reeve.com”.

July 2025: Impersonation of a partner at Mills & Reeve

We were made aware of scam emails being sent from the domains [email protected] and [email protected]. These emails were purportedly sent by a Mills & Reeve partner in connection with a ‘Change of Ownership Agreement' for certain high value diamonds and gold bullions. 
 
We are not involved in this purported transaction and the email addresses used are fraudulent. Genuine communications from Mills & Reeve use the domain “@mills-reeve.com”. We have reported this to the SRA.

September 2024: Copycat Website 

We were made aware of a copycat website The website misused the name and photos of seven partners of Mills & Reeve. 

Neither we nor our partners have any connection with that website. We arranged for it to be taken down and have reported this to the SRA. 

July 2024: Document Forgery

We were made aware that a document had been forged to appear as though it had been notarised by a partner of Mills & Reeve. The forged document misused the partner’s name and contained a fraudulent signature. 

We reported this to the SRA and the Faculty Office of the Church of England.

July 2024: Suspected Phishing and Impersonation of a partner at Mills & Reeve

We were made aware that emails impersonating a partner had been sent to multiple people. The emails enquired about a purported invoice that had been sent to the recipients. The fraudulent email addresses were sent from several domains including “[email protected]”

These are fraudulent email addresses and have no connection to Mills & Reeve. We have reported this to the SRA.

January 2023: Impersonation of an IP lawyer 

We were made aware that one of our lawyer’s email addresses had been used as a username on several websites and had been used to send communications to third parties. The communications alleged that the recipient had misused certain trademarks. 
We have no connection with the messages sent. We have reported this to the SRA.