The Bar Council has issued a warning about scam e-mails that use the names of barristers to hoodwink victims into handing over their personal details.

In a warning on its Web site, the Bar Council said it has discovered that scammers are sending e-mails purporting to be from barristers, in which the fraudster pretends to be in need of a bank account into which to place a large amount of cash.


The council has reported these e-mails to the police, and told the Gazette it was unable to make any detailed comment while the matter is under investigation.


A bar spokesman said: 'These are the usual scam e-mails purporting to give you lots of money in return for you providing your banking details - following which they will empty, rather than fill, your bank account.


'Some of the senders claim to be barristers. Some use the names of actual barristers and we have been getting queries from the public and others who have received them.'