Scams

Fake Arrest Warrants (3/21/2025)
- The Court has been made aware of a new scam involving fake United States District Court arrest warrants. The fake arrest warrants claim to be issued for failing to appear for jury duty and use official looking United States District Courts forms, indicating they were issued by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. A copy of the fake arrest warrant is attached here.
  
  The scammers demand payment by Bitcoin, gift cards, or bank account information to resolve the issue. Please be advised that the United States District Courts do not issue arrest warrants for failing to appear for jury duty unless you actually have been summoned for jury duty and fail to appear. If you receive an arrest warrant or other document purportedly from the United States District Courts that demands money, particularly Bitcoin and gift cards with payment by phone, please contact the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia at 540-857-5100 to confirm its legitimacy.

Fake Notices of Electronic Filing (NEFs) (11/6/2024)
- There has been nationwide reporting of fake Notices of Electronic Filing (NEFs) being sent to attorneys and law firms across the country. These fake NEFs are phishing attempts to convince recipients to respond back to the emails. Once a recipient replies to the email they are sent a follow-on email containing a link to access a document that leads the user to a malicious website. Please take caution if you receive these fake NEFs, validate cases and case documentation through CM/ECF only, and do not download any attachments or click any links from unofficial or questionable sources.