Kansans are being warned of a new scam.

According to the Kansas Attorney General’s Office, consumers are urged to be vigilant regarding a sophisticated email scam impersonating the U.S. District Court.

The Kansas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division has received reports of Kansans receiving emails with subject lines such as “Legal Compliance Required: Court Case #USDC-2026-[Number].” These emails fraudulently claim that the recipient is being “formally served with a summons in a civil action” and threaten a default judgment if the recipient does not respond immediately.

What to do if you receive this type of email:

• Do not reply: Do not click any links, open any attachments, or reply to the sender. This is a trick. The document or link provided is likely malicious and designed to infect your device with malware.
• Know the process: The U.S. District Court does not serve initial summonses via email. Official service is strictly conducted via the U.S. Postal Service (certified mail) or a process server.
• Verify the information independently: If you are concerned a legal case actually exists, contact the Clerk of the Court directly using a phone number found on the official court website, not the phone number listed in the email.
• Check the sender: Pay close attention to the sender’s email address. Scammers often “spoof” legitimate organizations or use .org extensions to bypass spam filters. A legitimate email from a federal court will always end in .gov, never .org or .com.

Report it:

• Forward the email to the Federal Trade Commission at [email protected].
• File a complaint with the Kansas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at www.ag.ks.gov.