CHICAGO (AP) — Federal officials are warning residents to beware of scams in which fraudulent court documents seek payments or personal financial information.
The Chicago-based U.S. District Court for Northern Illinois says people have reported receiving emails with official-looking papers that claim to be from the court.
A court statement says some of the documents may tell recipients that they’re entitled to money from a class action settlement. The messages may add that recipients must first send in a payment themselves or provide their financial details before they get any settlement money.
Some documents could include a judge’s forged signature or a forged court seal.
The statement says anyone who thinks they may have been the target of such a scam can file a complaint online with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.