HONOLULU, HAWAII (BNO NEWS) – The FBI announced on Friday that legal communities in Honolulu should be on alert for fraud schemes.

Recent scams have begun with possible clients contacting firms, sending a cashier’s check for a legal fee retainer that exceeds industry standards, as they seek legal representation in a civil law matter, such as a divorce.

Once the firm has informed the client of overpaying the retainer, the client requests a wire transfer refund to a foreign account, but it is later learned that the cashier’s check retainer is counterfeit, sustaining a loss in the amount of the refund.

The foreign bank accounts have been in South Korea, Taiwan, and Canada, which are suspected “relay accounts”, where the money is kept initially before moving onward to other locations.

These type of schemes have been encountered before by the FBI upon individuals selling items on CraigsList website.

Law firms and other professional service providers are cautioned to be on high alert when dealing with individuals through the internet, and wire transfers should be sent as refunds only when the initial payment has been fully cleared.

Over the past six weeks, the FBI has received reports of six different Honolulu law firms targeted in schemes that surpassed $500,000 in total losses.