Tucson Bankruptcy and Family Law, LLC

05/27/2020

Beware of scam artists. I got an email to my firm through the "contact me" button on my website. It was from a purported potential client from overseas. They claimed they had a divorce decree they wanted to enforce against their ex-spouse, who was now in Arizona. I exchanged a couple of emails with this person and it quickly became apparent that this was a form of what is called a fake check scam. Although this particular version of the scam was clearly designed for a family law firm, this scam exists in many forms.

The essence of the scam is that the victim, for one reason or another is sent a fake cashier's check. Due to banking regulations, when the victim deposits the fake check in their account at least a portion of the funds will be available for withdrawal immediately or shortly after the deposit. The victim is then convinced to withdraw a portion of those now available funds and forward them on to someone else. Later, when the check is determined to be fake, the funds are clawed back from the victim's account and the victim is out the money that was forwarded on.

In this case I was meant to take the money of my fees out of a check that was to be sent by the "ex-spouse" and forward the rest to the "client". But I have seen versions of this scam where the victim is someone advertising a vehicle for sale online. An out of state buyer wants to buy the car and have it shipped to the buyer. The cashier's check is sent to cover the purchase price of the car and the shipping. The transporting company is fake, the seller sends the money to the transporting company by wire or other unrecoverable means, and never hears from the transporting company or the buyer ever again. The check bounces, the money for shipping the car is out of the buyer's pocket.

Be aware that (a) fake cashier's checks exist and (b) just because funds for a deposit are credited to you account does not mean that they can't be clawed back later if the check is faked or if a funds transfer is made using a compromised account. Also, a legitimate business transaction won't involve someone paying extra to pay a third person to do something for the first person.

Be careful online and in real life. If something seems to good to be true it probably is.

04/24/2020

I am offering free consultations for all family law matters during the COVID-19 stay in place order. If you have a domestic violence situation or any other family law issue, please call to set up a telephonic or video-chat appointment.
520-628-8888.

Police and domestic abuse hotlines have noted an uptick in domestic violence complaints, at a time when victims have fewer options to leave home.

04/02/2020

04/02/2020

If you are co-parenting, you know that the COVID-19 emergency is creating all kinds of issues with parenting plans. The family law bench at Pima County Superior court has issued some guidelines to help parents navigate these difficult times.

If your spouse is refusing to follow the parenting plan, or if you have an emergency situation, call now to set up a consultation (telephone and video chat available).

04/01/2020

For anyone with a confirmed Chapter 13 plan who is experiencing financial hardship - the stimulus bill allows you to modify your plan and extend out the payments for up to 84 months. That means that a modified plan could have a number of months at zero payments and still lower your remaining payments after that.

Call now for a free consultation!

03/30/2020

Arizona's maximum unemployment will increase from $240 per week to $840 per week as a result of the federal stimulus package passed Friday.

Eligibility for unemployment benefits has also been expanded to include individuals who would not ordinarily be eligible for benefits.

The announcement comes after it was confirmed on Friday that Ducey signed legislation expanding unemployment benefits for people living in Arizona who are impacted by COVID-10.

03/30/2020

Arizona schools will be closed for the remainder of the school year. If you have questions about how this might affect your parenting plan call now to set up a telephonic consultation. We accept payment for consultations via the Cash App, Venmo, PayPal, and Zelle.

The 2019-2020 school year is over for Arizona students.

03/30/2020

Beware of scam artists taking advantage of the COVID-19 emergency.

The IRS will NEVER call you. Do not give out personal or financial information to someone who calls you.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued what she called "an urgent consumer alert" relating to scammers who play up federal stimulus checks.

03/30/2020

I opened a new practice in July of 2019. I took over the law practice of Cheryl Copperstone. I do mostly consumer bankruptcy and family law work, but feel free to call with questions about other matters. If I can't help you, I'm happy to help you find a well qualified attorney who can.

I know that this is a difficult and scary time for many people. Among many other issues, people have questions about financial issues. I will be keeping up to date with the various types of relief that are being offered by different levels of government. I offer free consultations related to bankruptcy.

For people who are in a co-parenting situation, I've been receiving many calls from people wondering how this health crisis affects their parenting plans. For consultations related to family law matters, I charge $100, for up to an hour.

As I like to joke when I hand people my card, I hope that you won't need my services. But if you do, I can promise you that I will be with you every step of the way.

Stay healthy and stay sane.

Caleb