I nearly got scammed by a fake lawyer in a traffic case

Last month in Austin I hired someone who claimed to be a traffic attorney off a Google ad to handle a speeding ticket, and he took my $500 retainer over email before disappearing. Turns out his bar number was stolen from a real lawyer in Dallas who had no clue this guy existed. Anyone else ever run into fake lawyers fishing for payments online and what did you do to get your money back?

2 comments

2 Comments

walker.robert14d ago

Man that is rough, I had almost the exact same thing happen to me a few months ago. I found this guy on Yelp who claimed to handle DUIs in Houston and he had a fake office address and everything. I was lucky because I used a credit card and the bank reversed the charge after I filed a fraud claim so I got my $750 back in about two weeks. The worst part is these scammers are getting smarter with fake websites and stolen credentials. I reported the guy to the State Bar of Texas but they said they couldn't do much without a real name or address. Now I always check attorneys through the state bar directory before I pay anyone a single dime.

rosebennett14d ago

My friend Jenna got scammed by some fake lawyer she found on Google Maps last year. She paid $500 for what was supposed to be a consultation about a speeding ticket and the guy ghosted her after she sent the money. She tried disputing it with her bank but since she used a debit card they told her tough luck. She ended up filing a report with the FBI's IC3 thing online and a few weeks later her bank actually refunded her anyway which was wild. Now she screenshots the bar license number and checks it on the state website before she even emails anyone.