SRA issues an alert after a scam email misuses a solicitor’s ID and a law firm’s identity
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has issued a public warning after an email was circulated misusing the identity details of a genuine solicitor and the name of a regulated law firm.
In an alert published on 21 January 2026, the regulator said it had been informed of an email sent to an organisation which falsely used the SRA ID number of Charlotte Bee and the name of Napthens LLP. The email related to the alleged reporting of an “invalid and unlawful annual general meeting”.
According to the SRA, the email referred to an earlier message said to have been sent to the recipient, which claimed that a planned annual general meeting was invalid and unlawful. The follow-up email requested that the organisation acknowledge receipt of the earlier correspondence and confirm that it was being considered by the appropriate internal team.
The regulator was advised that the email was sent from the address “ivorystansfield.napthens@mail.co.uk” and was signed by an individual calling themselves “Ivory Stansfield”, who claimed to be a charity law solicitor. The message also quoted a genuine SRA ID number belonging to a real solicitor.
The SRA said it does not authorise or regulate any individual named Ivory Stansfield. It confirmed that any business or transaction conducted through the email address or individual named in the alert is not undertaken by a firm or person authorised or regulated by the SRA.
The alert clarifies that there is a genuine solicitor, Charlotte Bee, who is authorised and regulated by the SRA and whose SRA ID number is 663144. She is an employee of Napthens LLP. The regulator also confirmed that Napthens LLP is a genuine firm of solicitors, authorised and regulated by the SRA under ID number 462103, with its head office at 7 Winckley Square, Preston, PR1 3JD.
Napthens LLP uses the email domain “@napthens.co.uk”. The firm and Ms Bee have both confirmed to the SRA that they have no genuine connection to the email referred to in the warning.
The SRA has advised organisations and individuals to exercise caution where a firm’s or individual’s identity appears to have been copied or cloned. It recommends carrying out independent due diligence by contacting the law firm directly using reliable and established contact details, rather than those provided in suspicious correspondence.
The regulator also said it can be contacted to verify whether individuals or firms are authorised and regulated, and that additional checks, such as consulting public records, may be necessary in some cases.