If you receive a suspicious document, phone call, text or e-mail that purports to be from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, please report it as soon as possible by emailing the Clerk's Office at PAED_clerksoffice@paed.uscourts.gov.

Below are examples of the types of scams that you should be aware of; however these are not the only types of fraud and phishing attempts that exist and you should be cautious any time you receive a document, phone call, text, or e-mail that seems suspicious.

Fictitious Legal Documents Promising a Large Sum of Money
The scammers try to trick people by using fake legal documents that promise the release of a large sum of money from a settlement or class action award if the recipient pays a small amount up front (e.g., $5K, 10K…) in order to receive their much larger payment. You can independently verify the authenticity of a document that someone claims is from the court by comparing it against the version maintained in the Federal Judiciary's PACER system or by contacting the U.S. District Court Clerk's Office.

Phony Emails or NEFs (Notification of Electronic Filing) About Court Cases
The Federal Judiciary is also aware of an email phishing scam in which emails purporting to come from federal and state courts are infecting recipients’ devices with computer viruses. The emails instruct recipients to review an attached document for detailed case information. When the attachments or links in the email are opened, a malicious program is launched that infects the recipient's computer or mobile device. Be aware that unless you are actively involved in a case in Federal Court and have consented to receive court notifications electronically, you generally will not be served with court documents electronically. You can verify the authenticity of any questionable emails by contacting the U.S. District Court Clerk's Office.

Fake Jury Duty Telephone Calls or Emails
Our office will never attempt to summon you for jury duty or collect a fine via e-mail or over the phone. Our jury summons includes a letter that invites you to respond online (or by mail) and provides instructions for doing so via the court's official website, https://www.paed.uscourts.gov. You should never pay a fine associated with jury service without first verifying the validity of the fine through the U.S. District Court Clerk's Office. Even if your Caller ID indicates that the incoming phone number is one assigned to the court, or the caller purports to be calling on behalf of one of the judges of this court, a phone call or text message of this nature is not from the court. A representative of the court will never call or text and demand payment over the telephone. Any caller who threatens arrest because of failure to respond to a federal jury notice or summons, and who then demands that payment be made over the telephone or at any location other than a U.S. District Court Clerk's Office, is a fraud. A text or telephone call from someone who states that you may be prosecuted for failing to appear for jury service, and then tries to obtain sensitive information from you over the telephone, such as a social security number, credit card number, and/or date of birth, is a fraud. Court personnel will never require you to provide sensitive information over the telephone. The U.S. District Court Clerk's Office will only ask you to provide information via the U.S. Mail or through the court’s secure website. Watch this video to learn more.

Forged Documents Bearing the Court Seal and/or Fake Letterhead
Scammers send out documents such as Arrest Warrants or Judgments bearing a forged judge’s signature and/or the court's seal stating that you have committed a crime and that you may avoid arrest by paying money. You can verify the authenticity of any court document by comparing it against the version maintained in the Federal Judiciary's PACER system or by contacting the U.S. District Court Clerk's Office.