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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 USA guide

Short answer

Treat the email as untrusted for now: do not click, reply, pay, scan a QR code, or send personal information. Verify through a phone number or website you find yourself, not through anything in the email.

Do not do these things

  • Don’t click links, open attachments, download files, or scan QR codes to view the “case file”.
  • Don’t call a phone number from the email or use its reply address.
  • Don’t send your Social Security number, date of birth, driver’s license, passport image, bank details, or login code to “confirm identity”.
  • Don’t pay a “fine”, “fee”, “bond”, or “warrant clearance” through a link, gift card, crypto, wire transfer, payment app, or QR code because the email pressured you.
  • Don’t assume it is real because it uses a seal, badge number, official-looking letterhead, a real person’s name, or a realistic case number.
  • Don’t keep opening an attachment to check it again.

What to do now

  1. Pause and treat the message as unverified. Your job right now is only to avoid clicking, paying, or giving information while you check it safely.
  2. Save basic details without engaging with the sender. Screenshot the sender address, subject line, claimed agency or court, alleged case number, demand, deadline, links, and payment instructions.
  3. If you clicked a link or opened an attachment, stop using that link or file. Use a different device if you need to change passwords, update security software on the affected device, and run a security scan.
  4. Verify the claim through an independent route:
    • For court, summons, subpoena, jury, warrant, or hearing language, find the court’s official website yourself and contact the clerk’s office or official court contact listed there.
    • If the email does not name a specific court, search for your federal, state, county, or municipal court through an official government site before calling.
    • For police, sheriff, jail, prison, probation, or federal law-enforcement language, find the agency’s official website yourself and call the main public number listed there.
    • If you feel in immediate physical danger, call 911.
  5. During the verification call, keep it narrow. Say you received an unverified email, give the claimed case number and sender address, and ask whether the office sent it or can tell you the safe way to check.
  6. Treat any one of these as a strong scam warning:
    • it says you must act within hours to avoid arrest
    • it demands payment by gift card, crypto, wire transfer, payment app, QR code, or a payment link
    • it tells you not to contact the court, police, a lawyer, your bank, or anyone else
    • the sender address is slightly misspelled or does not match an official government domain
    • it includes unexpected ZIP, HTML, executable, or password-protected attachments
    • it asks for your Social Security number, bank details, login code, or identity documents by email
  7. Report the phishing attempt after you have stopped engaging with it. You can report it to the FTC, forward the email to the Anti-Phishing Working Group, and mark it as spam or phishing in your email account. If money was lost or the message appears to be part of online crime, you can also report it to IC3.
  8. If you entered a password, change it using the real website or app that you type in yourself. Turn on multifactor authentication for that account if it is available.
  9. If you shared Social Security, bank, card, or identity-document information, use IdentityTheft.gov for next steps and call your bank or card issuer using the number on your card or statement.
  10. If you sent money, contact the bank, card issuer, payment app, wire service, or crypto platform as soon as you can through its official app or website. Keep receipts, transaction IDs, screenshots, and the original email.

What can wait

  • You do not need to prove the email is fake before reporting it.
  • You do not need to reply to “clarify”.
  • You do not need to pay today to stop an alleged escalation while the sender is unverified.
  • You do not need to decide whether there is a real legal matter until you have checked through an official route.
  • You do not need to send identity documents to an email address.

Important reassurance

Scammers use court, police, jail, warrant, and case-number language because it creates fear and urgency. Pausing and checking through a separate official route is a safe, reasonable response.

Scope note

These are first steps for stopping possible harm and verifying the message. If an official source confirms there is a real legal matter, later decisions may need help from a qualified lawyer or the relevant official office.

Important note

This guide is general information, not legal, medical, financial, therapeutic, cybersecurity, or professional advice. Communication practices can vary by court, agency, location, and case type. If you believe you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911.

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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