Solicitors should be on their guard against letters seeking payments for training under anti-money laundering legislation, the Law Society's professional ethics department warned this week.

Police have arrested two people in Crewe in relation to letters asking for £75 per employee for registration and a training pack under anti-money laundering legislation introduced in 2003.


Data protection: be on guard
The official-looking letters headed 'final notice' claim to be from the 'Anti-Money Laundering Support Team' and the 'National Training Scheme'.


Andrew Reece, investigations team manager at Trading Standards in Chester, said: 'No-one will have lost money in this particular case as all mail sent to the company in Crewe has been intercepted by police. But there could be other copycat schemes. Solicitors will need to register for training in some circumstances and if they are unsure of their obligations they should contact the Customs & Excise national advice line.'


A Law Society spokesman said solicitors should be cautious before enrolling on training and ensure that any speakers have the background to lecture. He added that solicitors could contact the Society's professional ethics team if they need information about training.


Meanwhile, lawyers have again been targeted by misleading correspondence relating to the Data Protection Act 1998. Solicitors in Leeds have received letters from a company calling itself Data Collection Services (Enforcement Section), offering to register firms as data controllers with the Information Commissioner for a fee of £95 plus VAT. The cost of registering directly with the commissioner is £35.