...to think this is terrible behaviour from a solicitors?

[OneNameToRuleThemAll]

So last month, my wife received an email regarding the sale of a house. This email included personal details in regards to the house. Except, it wasn't meant for my wife - I can only assume it was meant for someone with the same name. We received a follow up email asking us to ignore it. Gave it no more thought.

Today, we've received another email regarding this sale and the purchase of another house, telling us that we are due a MASSIVE payment and asking for instructions on how they should make payment.

Now, it's a good thing we're honest people but it strikes me this is terrible for a solicitor to make this mistake, right? It seems like a complete breach of privilege. Unfortunately we don't have the details for whoever it is meant for because I'd love to let them know how crap their solicitors are...

Sounds like a scam.

Report them to the Information Commissioner's Office for a Data Protection breach.

That is really shocking, no excuse for that. Report them to the information commissioner and to the solicitors regulation authority

I doubt very much it is a solicitors, it sounds like a scam to get you to hand over banking details. Did you check the firm information and check the rolls?

It's almost definitely a scam, ie not from a solicitors.

Definitely sounds like a scam to me

Did you phone the solicitor, did you check this is even an actual company?

Yes it’s a scam.

Scam.

Thanks for all the suggestions that it's a scam but no. It's a proper solicitors. They have an office on the high street. I used to live where the OTHER person is and have been passed it many times.

@ unfortunateevents

Yes. Spoke to them the first time on the phone.

It has to be a scam; when you instruct solicitors to act for you, you have to pass their checks under the Money Laundering Regulations before they can even receive money on your behalf.

Hover your mouse over the sender's email address and see if that looks legit. They can be disguised but I've received scam emails that haven't been. Looking at the email headers themselves should give you some clues, too; there's usually an option buried in the emailer's menus to show the headers.

@FeistyOldBat, it's no scam. I'm always very careful of phishing emails.

Scam emails are designed to look exactly like the real Solicetors. They are really well done. Not saying it definitely is a scam but it could be. Scammers have been known to be able to access Solicetors emails. Incoming and outgoing.

Conveyancing solicitors are regularly targeted by hackers due to the huge sums of money passing to/from banks in property transactions. I worked in a solicitors office and we had money laundering training that actually cited examples where firms have their emails and letterheads cloned in order to divert money from a legitimate transaction. You should contact the firm (don’t use the number on the email-google them) and ask to speak to their money laundering officer. Every firm will have one. Report the email to them as there may be a risk that they’re under attack.

You received the email on a Friday afternoon? This is peak period for scams. Was there an urgency to the request? The scammers have been known to hack into the solicitors systems to request the payment - therefore it looks like it comes from the solicitors and legit.

You say you called and spoke to the solicitors. They confirmed the email came from them? Presumably you called them back at the number on their website and not from the email.

Google conveyancing fraud. It is very common.

www.thetimes.co.uk/static/connected-families/conveyancing-email-scam-hackers-steal-house-deposit/

Some people are so gullible.

Fraudsters do target solicitors:
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/money/2017/jan/14/lost-67000-conveyancing-scam-friday-afternoon-fraud-legal-sector-email-hacker

Solicitors will NEVER accept bank details by email as, sadly, this is a common scam and they do get targeted because they send out lots of money from house sales, inheritance etc. You should let them know. If there had been a data protection breach then they will need to self report anyway.

It's a well-known scam. You may be convinced it's genuine but it isn't.

Yeah, it’s just a slightly cleverer version of the inheritance scam. If you don’t think so, send them your bank details and see what happens

IT MAKES ME LAUGH TO SEE HOW MANY OF YOU WANT TO REPORT THEM TO THE ICO!
It is a worrying thing that the mentality in the UK is becoming more like the US every day!.
Just message the solicitor and tell them of their error and then delete the message.
Probably a scam anyway but reporting to the ICO can have pretty devastating effect on any firm with large fines to go to the Government. Shame on all of you who suggest such a thing for what would be a genuine error if not a scam. Easy mistake with auto email address in outlook.

Scam

but reporting to the ICO can have pretty devastating effect on any firm with large fines to go to the Governmen

If any company is reported the ICO will want to see that they have put robust processes in place to ensure a breach doesn't happen again. They won't fine UNLESS the company continues to be blase about the data it holds, in whcih case they bloody well deserve the fine.

I agree it's a scam though.