Elaborate backstory puts a new twist on an old scam
There’s nothing about Pensacola lawyer David Luther Woodward that suggests an easy mark.
A 40-year veteran with a degree from the London School of Economics, Woodward’s “legal master’s degree informs his approach to domestic and international business issues,” according to his webpage.
So why would a scam artist target him — unsuccessfully — for a $149,500 debt-collection scheme? Woodward doesn’t have a clue.
“Maybe I’ve got a target on my back,” he says. “This is the fourth, or fifth, or sixth time something like this has happened.”
Previous trolling attempts, easily foiled, involved the alleged sale of an expensive boat, or heavy equipment, Woodward said.
The latest pitch, from an alleged London architect named “Tevin Walker,” seemed more plausible. The prospective client claimed he needed help collecting $250,000 in fees he was owed for “Anglicizing” an expensive Northwest Florida home.
Something seemed strange to Woodward, but not because the prospective “client” lived overseas.
“Because of where I’ve gone to school, I’ve represented people from all over the world and all over the country,” he said. “I don’t only work in Florida.”
After the initial contact, Woodward agreed to move forward. Walker emailed documents.
“There was an engagement agreement for his firm to do some work for a gentleman here in town,” Woodward said. “There were three invoices that were attached.”
On the phone, Walker’s English accent seemed genuine.
“One thing about going to school in England for about a year or so is that you become an amateur Henry Higgins,” Woodward said. “He did not have a plum-in-the-mouth accent.”
In the UK, the term refers to graduates of elite boarding schools, Eton or Harrow. Walker seemed more Midlands, Woodward said.
Woodward did some research. Property records matched the invoices. The home was worth $3 million, which seemed reasonable given the amount in controversy. A friend told Woodward that the homeowner’s wife came from a wealthy family.
Woodward got back to Walker.
“I told him we can file a lawsuit for the amount of money that you want,” Woodward said. “It’s adequately large that we can either do it in state or federal court and I’m here, ready to go, whenever you tell me.”
But before Woodward could file, Walker emailed with good news. Desperate to avoid a lawsuit, the homeowner had agreed to pay.
Not long after, a $149,500 cashier’s check landed in Woodward’s post office box.
Woodward agreed to deposit the check in his trust account, and wire the money, minus his fee, back to Walker. But — and it’s a big but — only after the check cleared.
“I was suspicious from the beginning,” Woodward said. “He said it was a cashier’s check. I said I understand.”
Woodward presented the check to the president of his bank, an old friend.
“He said we’ll give you immediate credit because it’s a cashier’s check,” Woodward said. “I said, Hank, no. You can do it if you want to, but I’m not going to draw on it.”
A few days later, the bank called to inform Woodward that the check was worthless.
Woodward hopes other lawyers will be just as cautious, and benefit from his story.
“I have great sympathy for the people who fall victim to one of these scams because I don’t see how you get out of the box,” he said. “Because the sums involved are so preposterous.”
