[Warning] Please be aware of cases of impersonation of A&S and our attorneys

Recently, we have received multiple reports of attempted fraud via emails apparently sent from our firm but in fact sent from a non-A&S domain address (Gmail, etc.) with titles such as "Notice of Copyright Infringement". In some cases these emails include attachments.

We have also received several reports of attempted fraud such as a person identifying himself/herself as a lawyer at our firm and demanding payment of fraudulent bills, etc.

In addition, there have been confirmed cases in which people who are not actually affiliated with A&S have used social media platforms such as LINE and Facebook to impersonate A&S attorneys.

If you receive any demands for money or any other communications from someone claiming to be from our firm or claiming to be one of our attorneys that you have no knowledge of, please do not give them any information about yourself and consult with the police.

If you receive any suspicious communication, please let A&S know at the contact address below.

■Contact Information

Atsumi & Sakai

Tel: +81-(0)3-5501-2111 (Main number)
E-mail: info@aplaw.jp

■Examples of reports received so far (partial)

- There have been multiple reports of attempted fraud via emails apparently sent from our firm but in fact sent from a non-A&S domain address (Gmail, etc.) with titles such as "Notice of Copyright Infringement". In some cases these emails include attachments.

- Fictitiously claiming to be Hiroyuki Nezu, Yuri Suzuki or Kenichi Tanizaki, and asking for initial retainer fees for the settlement of a case using social media platforms such as LINE and Facebook, or by sending links to our lawyer introduction page on our website.

- There have been cases where someone made contact using Facebook or LINE accounts impersonating lawyers Miho Niunoya, Nobuhiko Shimose, Go Fujimoto and Kenichi Tanizaki. In some cases, the recipients were led from Facebook to LINE as a means of communication.

*We have also received reports about a method in which no payment is demanded at the beginning of a suspicious contact, making it difficult to recognize the contact as suspicious until the correspondence progresses.

- A case in which someone was contacted via a LINE account by a person falsely claiming to be Attorney Junko Ogushi to offer legal advice on a fraud case, resulting in the misappropriation of the contacted person’s personal information, etc. (*1)

*1. Attorney Junko Ogushi does not provide legal services on LINE.

- Fictitiously claiming to be a member of an existing company using Yuri Suzuki's name without permission, claiming that she is the company's legal counsel and demanding that money be transferred to a designated account immediately.

- Fraud case involving a person claiming to be "Kenichi Tanizaki (谷崎健一)" of A&S on a LINE account, demanding legal fees (*2)

*2. Although there is a lawyer named Kenichi Tanizaki (谷崎研一) in our Firm, there is no person named "Kenichi Tanizaki (谷崎健一)" who currently belongs or has previously belonged to our Firm, and lawyer Tanizaki of A&S does not provide legal services on LINE.

We are consulting with the police regarding this case. If you have received a LINE message as described above, please consult with your local police office.

- We have received inquiries from people contacted on Facebook by a person claiming to be "Hisao Ishikawa", "CEO of Atsumi & Sakai Foreign Law Joint Enterprise Shibuya Office." (*3)

- A case in which someone was contacted via Facebook by a person claiming to be "Takayuki Ito" of "Atsumi Sakai Law Firm Foreign Law Joint business Shibuya office" and "Atsumi & Sakai New York LLP."(*3)

*3. There is no person named "Hisao Ishikawa" and "Takayuki Ito" affiliated with our firm at present or in the past, and no person with either name has a relationship with our firm whatsoever. In addition, the firm does not have a Shibuya office.

We are the only firm in Japan registered with the Japan Federation of Bar Associations as "Atsumi & Sakai".

- Cases of what appears to be investment fraud from someone claiming to be Registered Foreign Lawyer, Markus Janssen, of Janssen Foreign Law Joint Enterprise with Atsumi & Sakai or using his name without permission to request a money transfer to an account in the name of the said lawyer.

- A&S Tax and Accounting (another firm within our group) Certified Public Accountant and Tax Accountant Hiroo Yagi called late at night in the name of sales.

Please be aware that cases other than those described above may occur in the future, so please be on the lookout for suspicious phone calls, e-mails, or social media communications or postings in the name of our firm or our lawyers or staff.

If you notice anything suspicious, please contact our office (see " ■Contact Information" above).