Resources
Impersonation Attempts Targeting Chambliss Contacts
Dear Valued Chambliss Clients and Friends of the Firm,
I am writing to bring an urgent matter to your attention. Very recently, we identified a fraudulent text message sent to one of our contacts from an unfamiliar phone number, in which the sender impersonates a Chambliss attorney. The message appears to be designed to initiate a seemingly routine conversation, with the ultimate goal of extracting confidential information, privileged case details, financial data, or other sensitive materials. We know other firms have seen similar fraudulent efforts.
This is not a breach of our systems. It is a targeted social engineering attack — one that relies not on hacking our servers, but on exploiting trust. The attacker is counting on the fact that you recognize an attorney’s name and will respond naturally, without pausing to verify who is on the other end of that message.
I want to be direct with you: we cannot control or prevent bad actors outside our firm from spoofing names, numbers, or even email domains. This is an unfortunate reality of modern communication, and it is not unique to Chambliss — law firms, financial institutions, and businesses across every industry are experiencing similar impersonation attempts. What we can do is arm you with the awareness and habits necessary to protect yourself, your matter, and the confidentiality that is the foundation of our relationship and industry.
We are asking every client and friend of the firm to adopt or reinforce the following practices:
1. Treat unexpected texts from “your attorney” with suspicion, especially from unfamiliar numbers.
If you receive a text message that appears to be from a Chambliss attorney but comes from a phone number you do not recognize or have not used before, do not respond, click on links, or share any information. Assume it is fraudulent until proven otherwise.
2. Independently verify any new or unfamiliar phone number before engaging.
If an attorney or member of our team reaches out from a number you don’t already have saved, call our main office line directly at 423-756-3000 — using a number you already know to be correct, not one provided in the suspicious message — to confirm the number is legitimate before continuing that conversation.
3. Move sensitive conversations to email whenever possible.
Text messaging is inherently less secure and easier to spoof than email. If someone claiming to be from Chambliss wants to discuss your matter over text, ask that the conversation move to email instead, and initiate that email yourself using an address you already have for that attorney or staff member. Do not simply reply to an email they send you.
4. Never rely on the displayed name. Check the actual email address.
Email spoofing often makes a fraudulent message appear to come from a trusted name, while the underlying email address is subtly altered (an extra letter, a different domain, a lookalike character). Before responding to any email requesting sensitive information, click on or hover over the sender’s name to reveal the full email address, and compare it carefully against a known, correct address for that individual.
5. When in doubt, pick up the phone and call us by using a number you already trust.
If anything about a communication feels off, has unusual urgency, or contains a request for sensitive documents, wire instructions, login credentials, or personal identifying information, please stop and call our office directly at 423-756-3000.
6. Never send confidential information, login credentials, financial details, or wire instructions in response to an unsolicited or unverified message, regardless of how convincing it appears.
I want to emphasize that this warning is not intended to alarm you unnecessarily, but to ensure that the trust you place in this firm is matched by the vigilance necessary to protect it. Confidentiality is at the core of the attorney-client relationship, and the individuals attempting these schemes understand exactly how valuable that trust is, which is precisely why they are trying to exploit it.
We ask that you take a moment to share this advisory with anyone at your organization who regularly communicates with our attorneys or staff, so that everyone involved remains alert.
If you have received one of these suspicious messages, or if you have any doubt about the authenticity of a communication purporting to be from Chambliss, please contact us immediately at 423-756-3000 or [email protected]. We would rather confirm 10 legitimate messages than have a single fraudulent one succeed.
Thank you for your continued trust and partnership. Protecting the confidentiality of your matters remains our highest priority, and your attentiveness is a critical part of that defense.
Sincerely,
Steve Barham
President and Managing Shareholder
