Lawyers warned of email hackers, told to use safe words
The advice follows instances where a law firm or client's email system has been hacked and false instructions issued by the hackers
The NZ Law Society has today warned its members and their clients to be careful when taking instructions by email.
The advice follows instances where a law firm or client’s email system has been hacked and false instructions issued by the hackers.
NZ Law Society financial assurance manager Jeremy Kennerley says clients of lawyers should also take care, as there have been instances where law firm email systems have been taken over by criminals.
“We may see a rise in the use of faxed confirmations, which is a bit ironic given that many lawyers have been getting rid of their old fax machines,” he says.
“If a lawyer receives a client email asking them to carry out a transaction, our advice is for the lawyer to try and have a direct phone conversation with the client to confirm the instruction.”
He says if a client is not easily contacted by phone, another way is to verbally agree on a ‘safe’ or ‘code’ word or phrase that can be used in the email to verify authenticity.
Victoria Young
Tue, 30 Sep 2014
Tue, 30 Sep 2014
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Lawyers warned of email hackers, told to use safe words
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