There is another scam populating email inboxes across Western New York, and this one is so tricky, it just might get ya if you’re not careful.

An email is going around in the 716, instructing recipients to report to court on a specific date and time. The email requests that you submit necessary documents and bring witnesses with you – do not fall for this. It is a trap. 

One Buffalo resident received an email that had a court case number listed at the top, followed by a statement claiming that you have violated Federal Law.

“Hereby we inform you that you are suspected of violating of the Federal Law under Title 16 USC 8763.”

The court case scam email may also give you a hearing time and date, and it may say something similar to:

“Related hearing will be held next week at 3:30PM in Courtroom 6B. Case number is 9564-949498642.” 

The emails will ask recipients to review an attached document for “detailed case information.” When the attached link in the email is opened, a virus or malicious program is then launched that infects the computer. 

Take a look at this email received by one Buffalo resident.

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One way to identify this scam is to look at the email address, which makes this tricky. The email address that has been associated with these scams is notifications@court-cases-online.org , and it looks verifiable, but it is not.

Unless you are actively involved in a federal court case and have consented to receive notifications from the court via email, you will never be served with court documents electronically.

If you are unsure about whether or not you are involved in a federal court case, you should contact the federal court in your jurisdiction before opening any attachments or links.

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