Individuals and/or entities purportedly acting on behalf of Kubota Corporation of Osaka, Japan ("Kubota”) and a Director of Kubota have contacted several attorneys in the United States requesting their assistance to collect an alleged debt owed to Kubota.  As part of this scheme, the perpetrators request financial information from the attorneys, send them fraudulent checks, and request the transfer of monies from the attorneys’ bank/client trust accounts.  One e-mail address associated with this fraudulent activity is "(the name of Kubota’s executive) 55@ hotmail.com.”  Neither Kubota nor its executives have authorized such activity or retained legal counsel in the United States for the purpose described in the fraudulent emails.

If you receive any email from "(the name of Kubota’s executive) 55@ hotmail.com”, any request for assistance to collect an alleged debt on behalf of Kubota or its executives, or any other suspicious communication that purports to be from Kubota or one of its executives, please contact Richard Briggs, General Counsel, at 310-370-3370, ext. 1212.

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation has posted an alert about similar schemes on its website (see www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/e-scams["New Twist on Counterfeit Check Schemes Targeting U.S. Law Firms”]).  We have reported this fraudulent use of the names of Kubota and its executives to the proper governmental authorities.  Victims of any such scheme are urged to report the activity, which can be done online at www.ic3.gov.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.  If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Briggs, General Counsel, at the above number.