Payment security: how to avoid impersonation scams
In some scams, someone pretends to be a lawyer or a law firm and asks for a bank transfer to an account that is not theirs. This page gives you the details to check that you are dealing with ALY Abogados and tells you what to do if a message does not look right.
If you are asked to pay into another account, do not pay
The bank account for payment is stated in the engagement letter (hoja de encargo) you sign with the firm, and the firm never changes it by email or by WhatsApp. If you receive a message asking you to pay into a different account, even if it seems to come from us, do not make the payment and call us on +34 633 572 607. Dial the number yourself; do not use the one in the message.
Our official contact details
The firm's contact details are the ones shown on this website. If someone claims to be writing or calling on behalf of ALY Abogados using other details, check with us by phone first.
- Phone and WhatsApp: +34 633 572 607. This is the number to call to confirm any payment.
- Other firm numbers shown on the website: +34 828 128 918, +34 828 127 786 and +34 911 012 560.
- Email: alyabogados@lazaroamable.com.
- Office: Hoya del Enamorado, 18, Local 1, 35019 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
How fees are paid
Before any work starts, you sign an engagement letter with the firm. It sets out the fees, how they are paid and the account they are paid into. The firm never changes that account by email or by WhatsApp.
Before making a transfer, compare the account with the one in your engagement letter. If you have the slightest doubt, call +34 633 572 607 before paying.
Warning signs
- You are told the firm's bank account has changed and you are given a new one.
- You are put under pressure: you must pay today so as not to miss a deadline, close a deal or receive a sum of money.
- The message comes from a phone number or an email address that does not appear on this website.
- The account is in the name of another person or of a company you do not know.
- You are asked for your online banking passwords, the codes your bank sends you or your full card details. Do not share them with anyone.
How to check the lawyer's registration
Lázaro Héctor Amable Méndez is a lawyer registered with the Las Palmas Bar Association (Ilustre Colegio de la Abogacía de Las Palmas, ICALPA) under no. 5231. You can check this yourself in the public General Register of Lawyers (Censo General de Letrados) of the Spanish General Council of the Legal Profession (Consejo General de la Abogacía Española):
- Go to the Censo General de Letrados on abogacia.es (in Spanish). If the link has changed, go to abogacia.es and search for "Censo General de Letrados".
- Search by full name (Lázaro Héctor Amable Méndez) or by registration number.
- Check that the name, the Las Palmas Bar Association and number 5231 are shown.
You can also ask the Las Palmas Bar Association directly.
If you have already paid or think you have been deceived
- Call your bank as soon as possible and tell them what happened.
- Keep the messages, emails, phone numbers and payment receipts.
- Report it to the police. In Spain, to the Policía Nacional or the Guardia Civil.
- Let us know on +34 633 572 607, especially if the message used the firm's name.
Unsure about a message or a payment?
Call us before paying. We will confirm whether the message is ours. You can also write to us in English or Spanish.