Lawyers warned of Bible scam

Probate solicitors appear to have once again become the victims of a suspected Bible book scam that has reignited three years after it first emerged.

In the past week, the Law Society has received notification of three firms receiving invoices from a French address - purporting to be 'The Christian Bookclub' - requesting payment from deceased client's estates for a hardback New Testament Bible and Jesus, The King of Faith ordered but not paid for.

The scam first came to light in 1999, when a number of practices received similar letters from addresses in Bradford and France (see [1999] Gazette, 14 July, 3).

The current batch of invoices, for 35.98, have been forwarded to the Law Society's fraud and investigation unit (FIU) and are under investigation by West Yorkshire Police.

Michael Longdon, senior partner at Ramsgate firm Robinson & Allfree, was a victim of the scam three years ago and has also received the latest invoice.

He said: 'When we started receiving invoices again, we put it straight on to the Law Society and informed the police, but because it emanates from France it is difficult to track.'

Mr Longdon said he expected the perpetrators were going through the new probate registers to select targets.

Barrie Mayne, head of the FIU, said: 'Over the past few days we have received suspect invoices from firms in London, Sidmouth and Ramsgate.

If things go true to form we expect to be flooded with them in the next few weeks.'

Mr Mayne said anyone receiving the invoices should not respond to them, but instead forward a copy to his office.

'Last time round a number of arrests were made, but nothing came to fruition in court,' he said.

'We will be investigating this issue, in co-operation with the police, to ensure it doesn't happen again.'

Steve Rand, company secretary of BCA, which operates the Christian Bookclub in the UK, said the invoices were 'nothing whatsoever to do with us'.

He said they would be contacting the 'scammers' at the invoice address and possibly threatening them with passing off the club's name.

l Anyone receiving suspect invoices should contact Barrie Mayne on 020 7320 5703.

Andrew Towler