Release from the office of Kris Kobach
TOPEKA – (Jan. 28, 2026) – Kansas Attorney General Kobach is warning consumers to be vigilant regarding a sophisticated email scam impersonating the U.S. District Court.
“Kansans should never respond to unsolicited emails claiming to be official court summons—these are sophisticated scams designed to steal personal information or infect devices with malware. State and federal courts do not serve legal documents via email, and clicking links or opening attachments in these fraudulent messages can have serious consequences. My office is committed to protecting consumers from these deceptive tactics, and I urge anyone who receives such an email to report it so we can hold these criminals accountable,” Kobach said.
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 spam@uce.gov.
File a complaint with the Kansas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at www.ag.ks.gov
