Alert over bogus firm

A bogus law firm has been targeting people with the surname Johnson across the north of England in a confidence trick.

Victims of the scam are being sent a letter purporting to be from Johnson & Johnson solicitors of Clifford Street, York, and signed by the senior partner, Michael Johnson.

It informs them that they have been left 16,832.17 by a Mr John Johnson, late of Aberdeen.

The letter says the money will be transferred directly to their account, and tells them to fill in their bank details to authorise the transaction.

It adds that there will be a 25 transfer fee which will immediately come out of their account.

Neither the firm nor Michael Johnson is registered with the Law Society, and the address on the letterhead is a mailbox.

The 25 is taken out of the victims' accounts, but the promised inheritance is never received.

Denise Chambers, a trainee legal executive at Newcastle law firm Dickinson Dees, said: 'We were dealing with the estate of a Mr Sidney Johnson when we received this letter, addressed to Mr Johnson and redirected to us.

We wrote to Johnson & Johnson asking for our client's inheritance to be sent by cheque, and have heard nothing since.'

Dave O'Brien, Newcastle City Council's trading standards manager, confirmed that he had received a number of complaints about the letters, which he had passed on to the York police, which is investigating.

A spokesman for the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors said it was aware of the problem: 'Impersonating a solicitor is a criminal offence, and we are liaising with the police.'

Victoria MacCallum