Scammers exploit Fiverr posing as solicitors

Scammers have infiltrated Fiverr, one of the world's largest freelance platforms, by impersonating real solicitors, including employees of prominent fashion brands, investment banks, and the Financial Conduct Authority. According to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), dozens of profiles offering legal services are using stolen names and registration numbers from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), which confirms a lawyer's qualifications. These fraudsters pair such identifiers with AI-generated headshots to lure unsuspecting clients with appealing services at remarkably low prices, sometimes as cheap as $10 (£7.61).

Some of the fake solicitors even disclosed in communications with TBIJ that they relied on AI for their work. TBIJ managed to alert thirty individuals and companies about the fraudulent accounts, which were reported to Action Fraud and the SRA. This action spurred the SRA to issue a scam alert regarding Fiverr, noting a significant uptick in impersonation scams, having already published over 1,400 alerts in the current year alone.

Phil Brickell, a Labour MP and chair of the all-party parliamentary group on anti-corruption and responsible tax, remarked that online platforms are becoming a primary arena for scammers. He stated, “The government’s forthcoming fraud strategy must include measures to hold online companies to account.” An SRA spokesperson confirmed that their powers are limited but admitted to urgently reviewing the identified profiles by TBIJ “due to the nature of the risk to the public falling victim to the scam.”

One victim, Eli, sought a low-cost legal opinion on Fiverr and stumbled upon a profile claiming to be a specific solicitor using his genuine SRA number. He became suspicious when the responses felt robotic and the account owner declined to speak on the phone. Upon contacting the actual solicitor’s law firm, Eli discovered that the Fiverr profile was a fake.

The impersonated solicitor, Joseph, only learned of the identity theft after Eli's inquiry. Sharing his experience, Joseph noted, “The person was clearly pasting everything into GPT.” He expressed concern that if the impersonator had issued a certified document under his name, it would have been legally worthless.

Impersonation on Fiverr is not isolated to Joseph; solicitors from various institutions, including the Financial Conduct Authority and a Big Four accounting firm, have faced similar scams. Marcus Denning, a senior lawyer at MK Law in Australia, commented that “these scams adversely affect the level of public trust in regulated legal professions.” All the firms surveyed by TBIJ confirmed that the accounts were illegitimate, and many are currently investigating the fake profiles while reporting them to the SRA, Action Fraud, and Fiverr.

When TBIJ posed as a potential client to contact some fraudulent accounts, many claimed to be operating from abroad or were situated in different time zones. Their rates for drafting NDAs were between £50 to £150, clearly lower than average UK lawyer charges, yet many profiles continued to promote rock-bottom prices.

With advancements in generative AI, the ability to create authentic-seeming legal documents has surfaced, leading some genuine lawyers to commit errors. Following multiple instances of misusing AI, the high court intervened in June, ordering lawyers to cease the practice after fictitious cases were introduced. The technology has thus emboldened fraudsters to carry out convincing legal scams unchecked.

Eli, a tech professional, acknowledged that his cautious online behavior helped him avoid being scammed. “That’s probably why I didn’t fall for it, because I immediately felt something was wrong,” he explained.

Fiverr has community standards that prohibit impersonation and the use of AI-generated profile pictures. However, many fraudulent accounts displayed profile images that didn’t match the lawyers they impersonated and displayed signs of AI generation, such as unnaturally smooth facial features. Despite this, Fiverr does not proactively screen listings and has left buyers to verify the authenticity of their chosen providers themselves.

While Fiverr encourages users to report suspected fake accounts, response rates have been inadequate. Several solicitors reported that the majority of profiles identified by TBIJ remained active, despite requests for their removal, with one solicitor, Joseph, noting that his impersonating account was removed only after his persistence. “Fiverr never acknowledged taking it down or apologised,” he relayed.

In a recent development, Fiverr announced its intention to become an more "AI-first" business, with chief executive Micha Kaufman promising an expansion of artificial intelligence to enhance fraud detection. Yet, a spokesperson for Fiverr declined to comment on the fraudulent listings identified by TBIJ. Though some lawyers maintain genuine accounts on Fiverr, the platform is becoming increasingly crowded with AI-generated legal services which, as one solicitor pointed out, leads clients to request verification calls. “One even left a review saying, ‘Cullen’s great and the best thing of all, he’s actually legitimate,’” noted Cullen Gordge, a legitimate solicitor on the platform.

Experts confirm that impersonation scams are gaining momentum, combining low-cost generative AI technology with minimal effort, ultimately putting consumers at risk of falling victim to these deceitful practices.