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Fake email/phone-call scam

Scams based on correspondence supposedly coming from the Court of Justice of the European Union

Have you received a call, email, letter, or any other correspondence supposedly coming from the Court of Justice of the European Union or from a body with a similar name?

Stop and think carefully! Some scammers try to scare people into paying them money or sending them personal information, by impersonating the Court.

If you receive a communication purporting to be from the Court, here are some warning signs indicating that it is a scam:

  • you are accused of a criminal offence or told that you were named as a defendant in a case;
  • you are asked for money or personal information;
  • you are asked to download an application or a file from the internet.

Don’t be fooled – all of that correspondence is fake!

  • The Court will never call or send unsolicited emails or letters to citizens.
  • It is impossible for a citizen to be the defendant in a case brought directly before the Court of Justice or the General Court.
  • The Court will never ask for the payment of legal or administrative fees – proceedings at the Court are free of charge.
  • The Court does not issue fines against citizens and does not accept payments.

What to do if you are the target of such a scam?

If you receive a suspicious letter, email or telephone call supposedly coming from the Court:

  • Don’t panic, there is no need to act hastily;
  • Never reply: by doing so, you confirm that your address is valid and that you read this kind of message, which leads to other similar demands;
  • In the case of a telephone call, hang up immediately and block the number;
  • Never contact the sender, they will try to put more pressure on you;
  • Don’t pay anything;
  • Don’t click on any links or attachments: you could be directed to a malicious site masquerading as an institutional site, leading you to provide personal information or download documents containing malware;
  • Mark the email as spam so that subsequent emails can be filtered by your email service;
  • Keep evidence through screenshots: threatening message, sender’s email address, etc.;
  • If such a service exists in your country, flag the attempt to the cybercrime/digital fraud service;
  • If you have engaged with such a scam: report it immediately to the police in your country.