Scam Alert: Someone Is Impersonating Parker & Parker

Published: June 16, 2026

We need to warn you about something. Scammers are using our firm’s name, and my name, to take money from people, and it is working. This is not us. This post explains how to tell the difference.

Just this week, a man in another state reached us after he had already lost $10,000. He had been dealing with someone who used our name and told him he had won money. By the time he found the real Parker & Parker, the money was gone.

This is not new. The same scheme has surfaced every so often over the past few years, in a different part of the country each time. The last people who reported it to us were in Oklahoma. We cannot stop these operations at the source, because they move between phone numbers and accounts faster than anyone can shut them down. What we can do is make it easy to check.

This kind of fraud is common enough that the FBI has issued public alerts about scammers impersonating law firms. You can read the FBI’s warning at its Internet Crime Complaint Center.

What the scam looks like right now

Here is what that man reported about how the impersonators contacted him:

• One reached him on WhatsApp from a Jamaica (+876) number, and claimed to be from a family of lawyers.
• Another posed as Robert Parker on Google Voice numbers, one with a Seattle (206) area code and one with a Lynchburg, Virginia (434) area code.
• They told him he had won money and needed to send a payment to collect it.

We are not listing the exact phone numbers, because scammers change them constantly. The channels and area codes above show the pattern, and the pattern is what gives them away: an unexpected prize, a request to pay first, and contact through an app or an out-of-state or overseas number that is not ours.

How to know it is really us

The real Parker & Parker does these things the same way every time:

• We call from (309) 673-0069, and every email we send ends in @parkerandparkerattorneys.com.
• We will never contact you on WhatsApp.
• We will never tell you that you won money, a sweepstakes, or a Publishers Clearing House prize.
• We will never ask you to pay a fee or buy gift cards to collect winnings. That request is the scam, every time.

You can confirm that I am a real Illinois lawyer in two minutes. Robert Parker is licensed by the State of Illinois, ARDC No. 6300514, and anyone can verify any Illinois attorney for free at iardc.org. We also keep a full verification page here: Is this really Parker & Parker?

If someone using our name has contacted you

1. Do not send money, and stop responding.
2. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and if money changed hands, the FBI’s IC3.gov.
3. If you are not sure, call us at (309) 673-0069 and ask. We would rather take a hundred “is this real?” calls than have one more person lose money to someone wearing our name.

If you already sent money, you are not foolish and you are not alone. These operations are professional, and they target good people. Report it, and tell your bank right away.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Parker & Parker ever contact people on WhatsApp?

No. We never use WhatsApp. If someone using our name reaches you there, it is a scam.

Has Parker & Parker been hacked?

No. The scammers are not inside our systems. They copy our name, my photo, and our address from public sources and pair them with their own phone numbers and accounts.

How do I confirm a message is really from the firm?

Call our office directly at (309) 673-0069, check that any email ends in @parkerandparkerattorneys.com, and use our verification page at parkerandparkerattorneys.com/verify. When in doubt, call us.

If you have any doubt about whether a call, text, or message is really from us, call (309) 673-0069 or visit our verification page. We are always glad to confirm.

Every personal injury case is unique. Our personal injury attorneys serving Central Illinois provide personalized legal strategies tailored to your situation.