The Virginia court system is warning the public about a scam in which emails claiming to be from a state or federal court cause viruses to be downloaded to computers. That’s according to a report from The Daily Press.
The Virginia Supreme Court’s executive secretary’s office recently posted the “public advisory” in red letters at the top of the state court system’s website.
The email looks official “and falsely claims to be about an upcoming court case,” the advisory said. The email often includes such words as “Notice to Appear in Court” or “Court Notice” in its subject line or in the body.
The email typically provides contact information for a court, “lending a sense of legitimacy to the scam,” the advisory said. Then, the email instructs the recipient to review the “attached notice” or click on a link in the email.
“When the recipient opens the attachment or clicks on the link, a computer virus infects the recipient’s computer,” the notice says. “Please be advised that such email is not from a court, nor is it about a court case, but a scam designed to infect the recipient’s computer with a virus.”
Virginia’s courts don’t conduct business with the public by way of unsolicited email messages, the notice said.
If you get an unsolicited email claiming to be from a Virginia court, don’t open any attachments, click on any links or click on any buttons telling you to “unsubscribe.” You should delete the email.
