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What to do if…
you receive an email about a case number that requires urgent action but you cannot verify the sender

Produced and maintained by PanicStation.org Published: Last reviewed: Editorial policy UK guide

Short answer

Treat the email as suspicious until you have checked it through an independent official route. Do not click links, open attachments, scan QR codes, reply with personal details, or pay anything from the email.

Do not do these things

  • Don’t click links, open attachments, or scan QR codes from the email to view a case, warrant, summons, file, fine, or notice.
  • Don’t reply with your date of birth, address, National Insurance number, passport or driving licence images, bank details, passwords, or one-time codes.
  • Don’t call a phone number from the email or use a reply-to address it provides.
  • Don’t pay a fine, fee, settlement, release charge, or verification payment because the email says it is urgent.
  • Don’t pay by bank transfer, gift card, crypto, or a payment link from the email.
  • Don’t assume it is genuine because it uses a logo, formal wording, a case number, or your real name.
  • Don’t delete the email yet if you may need to report it.

What to do now

  1. Pause the message. Your immediate job is only to avoid clicking, paying, or sharing details while you verify it safely.
  2. Take screenshots of the email showing the sender address, subject line, date, alleged organisation, alleged case number, and any deadline or demand. Do not open any attachment to get more screenshots.
  3. Check whether you have already interacted with it:
    • If you only read the email, move to step 4.
    • If you clicked a link but did not enter details or download anything, do not use that link again; watch the account for unusual activity.
    • If you entered a password, personal details, bank details, or one-time code, change the affected password from a separate trusted device and contact your bank straight away if payment or card details were involved.
    • If you opened an attachment, downloaded a file, installed software, or the device is behaving oddly, run your antivirus or security software if you have it and avoid using that device for banking or sensitive accounts until you have checked it.
  4. Verify the claim using contact details you find yourself, not anything in the email:
    • If it claims to be from police, use the official police contact route or call 101 for a non-emergency enquiry. Call 999 if there is immediate danger or a crime is happening now.
    • If it claims to be from a court or tribunal, use the GOV.UK court and tribunal finder if it covers the relevant court or tribunal. If the matter is in Scotland or Northern Ireland, follow the official signposting from that page to the relevant court service.
    • If it claims to involve prison or probation, use official GOV.UK HM Prison and Probation Service or Probation Service contact routes and ask whether the email matches a legitimate communication method.
  5. Use a short red-flag check, but do not rely on it as proof. Be especially cautious if the email includes urgent threats, demands payment by link or transfer, asks for identity documents, tells you not to speak to anyone, uses a mismatched sender address, or includes ZIP, HTML, or unexpected attachments.
  6. Forward the suspicious email to [email protected]. After forwarding it, mark it as spam or junk in your email app.
  7. If you lost money, made a payment, or think an account has been taken over, report it as fraud using the route directed by NCSC or GOV.UK for your part of the UK. In Scotland, contact Police Scotland, usually on 101 unless it is an emergency.
  8. Write a safe verification note for yourself: the claimed organisation, the claimed case number, what the email demanded, what you clicked or shared, and which official route you used to check it. Stop engaging with the email thread.

What can wait

  • You do not need to decide whether the case number format looks genuine.
  • You do not need to reply just to check.
  • You do not need to send ID documents, proof of address, bank details, or payment today because the email says so.
  • You do not need to decide now whether you need legal advice. First, verify whether the message is genuine.
  • You do not need to investigate the sender yourself beyond using official contact routes.

Important reassurance

Scam emails often copy the language of police, courts, prisons, probation services, and government bodies because urgency can make people act before checking. Feeling shaken does not mean you have done anything wrong; slowing the situation down is the right first step.

Scope note

These are first steps to reduce harm and verify the message safely. If the email turns out to relate to a genuine legal or official matter, later decisions may need help from the relevant official body or a qualified legal professional.

Important note

This guide is general information only. It is not legal, financial, cyber security, therapeutic, or other professional advice. If you believe there is immediate risk to you or someone else, call 999.

Additional Resources

Closely connected guides that may be useful during the same situation or its immediate aftermath.

About this guide

This guide was produced and is maintained by PanicStation.org using its published editorial process. Official and specialist sources are checked where relevant, and AI-assisted tools may be used for drafting, organisation, and consistency checks. The site operator remains responsible for publication, revision, and removal decisions.

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