A dangerous new trend of digital legal scams has prompted senior police officials and legal aid cells to issue an urgent public warning for everyday citizens. Sophisticated cybercriminals are sending highly convincing, fake court notices and fraudulent legal summons via WhatsApp and email. These messages often feature forged official logos of the High Court or local District Courts to terrify innocent people into paying large sums of money.
These fake documents typically claim that the receiver is being sued for an outstanding loan or is facing immediate arrest for an obscure cybercrime. The scammers then provide a phone number for a fake “court officer” who demands an immediate online transfer to settle the case outside of court.
Real legal notices are delivered physically by a certified court bailiff or sent through registered post with an official, verifiable case number. This case number can be easily checked for free on the official e-Courts mobile application. Citizens are strongly advised to never send money based on a digital message and to always verify any legal notice with an independent lawyer before responding.
