Watch Out for Scammers Impersonating SBM

Watch Out for Scammers Impersonating SBM

July 20, 2020

Michigan lawyers should be on high alert, as scammers are impersonating State Bar of Michigan leadership in an effort to collect gift cards. The emails usually have a subject line of “STATE BAR of MICHIGAN REQUEST” and are sent from an email address that is clearly not associated with SBM.

The State Bar of Michigan will never contact you to ask for gift cards. If you receive such an email, you should not reply. We are working with law enforcement to stop this scam.

Here are some tips from the Federal Trade Commission for recognizing scam emails and more information about scams involving gift cards.

July 29, 2020, update: A lawyer reported to SBM receiving a similar email purportedly from another Michigan lawyer requesting iTunes gift cards. The email came from a hotmail email address and included a professional signature for the lawyer. The language in the email contained typos and grammatical mistakes. 

Related: Scams Targeting Attorneys Reported in Michigan