Fake Court Summons WhatsApp Scam — Verification + BNSS Reporting (2026)

A “Supreme Court / High Court / Sessions Court summons” PDF on WhatsApp, signed by a “Registrar” you can't verify, is a stock template in the digital-arrest scam economy. The document looks pristine, the seal is photoshopped, and the case number is invented. Real summonses don't reach you on WhatsApp. This page is the operational verification + reporting playbook.

Citizen Crisis Response Network — BNSS 2024 rule
Court summonses are issued under BNSS 2024 §63 in writing, in duplicate, sealed, and served physically by an officer or by post — never by WhatsApp, email, or SMS link.

A court summons received on WhatsApp / email / SMS is almost always a scam. Verify by checking the eCourts portal at services.ecourts.gov.in (case status by party / advocate / case number) and by calling the named court's official registry. Real summons under BNSS 2024 §63 are physically served, signed by the presiding officer, and bear the court seal. Report fake summonses at cybercrime.gov.in and to PIB Fact Check (WhatsApp +91-8799711259). Never call the number on the PDF or click any embedded link.

• How the fake summons scam runs
• Five red flags in the PDF
• How real summons are served — BNSS 2024 §63
• Verify on eCourts in 5 minutes
• The 30-minute reporting drill
• Sample report letter
• What not to do
• Can compensation be claimed?
• FAQ

1. Hook — WhatsApp PDF: “Honourable Supreme Court of India — summons in Case No. 2026/SC/12345 — appear within 24 hours.”
2. Authority transfer — Phone number on PDF leads to a “Registrar” who switches you to a “Police Officer” who initiates a Skype “digital arrest” call.
3. Confine — You're kept on video, alone, while the “verification” runs.
4. Drain — Pressure to transfer money for “case disposal” / “bail bond” / “verification deposit.” All transfers go to mule accounts.

The fake summons is the opener for the same digital-arrest scam covered in the fake police notice page; the only change is the source agency.

• §63(1) — Every summons shall be in writing, in duplicate, signed by the presiding officer, and bearing the seal of the court.
• §64 — Served by a police officer or by an officer of the court / public servant.
• §65 — Personal service on the addressee; if not available, on an adult family member.
• §66 — If neither is possible, by affixing one copy on the residence and reporting back to court.
• §67 — Service on a corporate body — to its registered office.
• §68 — Service on government servants — through the head of office.
• §70 — Proof of service by affidavit before the court.

Translation: a real summons reaches you through an officer at your registered address, not through WhatsApp.

1. Open services.ecourts.gov.in in a clean browser.
2. Case Status → search by:
   • Party name
   • Advocate name
   • Case number (the PDF's claimed case number)
   • Filing number
3. For Supreme Court — main.sci.gov.in/case-status
4. For High Courts — each HC has its own portal linked from the eCourts hub
5. For District / Sessions courts — eCourts services covers ~3,000+ courts
6. If the case number / your name doesn't appear → the PDF is forged

Cross-check with the named court's registry phone number — found on the court's official website, never on the PDF.

1. Do not call any number on the PDF
2. Take screenshots of the PDF metadata, sender's WhatsApp / email, document properties (often reveals fake author)
3. File at cybercrime.gov.in under “Cybercrime → impersonation”; reference number recorded
4. Forward to PIB Fact Check (WhatsApp +91-8799711259) for public-warning amplification
5. Forward to DoT Sancharsaathi → Chakshu for fraud-call / SMS reporting
6. Local police FIR under BNS 2024 §336 / §338 (forgery), §319 (cheating), IT Act §66D
7. Block the WhatsApp sender; report inside the chat → Block + Report
8. Loop in family / friend; isolation is the scam's leverage

To,
The Officer-in-Charge,
Cyber Crime Cell, [City Police]

Subject: Fake court summons forgery — request for FIR under BNS 2024
§336/§338 + §319 + IT Act §66D

Sir / Madam,

I, [Full name], received a forged document on WhatsApp dated [date],
purporting to be a summons from [Supreme Court / High Court / Sessions
Court of ___], Case No. [as in PDF]. The document bears no genuine
signature / seal; the case is not listed on services.ecourts.gov.in.

Attached:
  1. PDF of forgery
  2. WhatsApp / email metadata of sender
  3. Phone / Skype number on the PDF
  4. Printout of eCourts case-search showing 'no record'

I request registration of FIR under BNS 2024 §319 (cheating),
§336–§338 (forgery / forged electronic record / using forged document),
and IT Act §66D (impersonation). Please coordinate with the I4C
(Reference at cybercrime.gov.in: ___) and PIB Fact Check.

Yours faithfully,
[Signature, Name, Date]
[Phone, Email, Aadhaar last 4 digits]

• Do not call the number on the PDF — even to “tell them you know it's fake.” You become a verified target.
• Do not send Aadhaar / PAN / bank details over WhatsApp / email to anyone claiming to be a court official.
• Do not transfer “bail / verification deposit.” Indian courts never collect deposits via UPI / personal accounts.
• Do not join a Skype / video call with the sender. No Indian court conducts proceedings on Skype.
• Do not post the PDF publicly with personal details. Redact before sharing for awareness.

• Bank refund — RBI Master Direction 2017 (refund if reported within 3 working days)
• Banking Ombudsman — RB-IOS 2021 if bank stalls
• Consumer court — for bank's negligence in approving large unusual transfers
• Civil suit — against any individual you can identify (rare, since attackers are usually offshore)

1. 0–5 min — eCourts case-status search; verify it doesn't exist
2. 5–15 min — File at cybercrime.gov.in; PIB Fact Check forward
3. 15–25 min — Block sender; gather screenshots; loop in family
4. 25–30 min — If money moved, call 1930; bank dispute email
5. +24 h — Local police FIR; cyber-cell submission
6. +72 h — RBI bank-dispute window for any debit

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• Q: Can the Supreme Court send summons via WhatsApp?
  No. The Supreme Court Rules require service through Registry / process-server / post — never WhatsApp.
• Q: What if the PDF has my full name and Aadhaar last 4?
  Public databases leak names + Aadhaar fragments. Personal data on a PDF doesn't authenticate it. Verify on eCourts.
• Q: Is there ever a “virtual summons” issued via email?
  Even where courts send hearing-link emails for cases already in their system, the summons itself is physically served first. A first-touch email summons to someone with no case is fake.
• Q: Can I report the WhatsApp number to TRAI?
  Yes — Sancharsaathi → Chakshu accepts WhatsApp / SMS / call fraud reports. Forward also to abuse@whatsapp.com.
• Q: Will the police take this seriously?
  Yes — BNS 2024 §336–§338 and IT Act §66D are cognisable; the cyber cell handles such impersonation as routine.

“Real or fake court summons WhatsApp?” · “How to verify court summons online India?” · “Supreme Court summons WhatsApp scam.” · “Fake registrar PDF summons.” · “BNSS 2024 service of summons.”

[Verification flow] "Court summons received"
WhatsApp/email PDF? → suspect fake
eCourts has case + your name? → maybe genuine → call court registry from official site
Anything else?         → SCAM → cybercrime.gov.in + PIB Fact Check

[Comparison table] "Real (BNSS §63) vs Fake summons"
Channel   : process-server | WhatsApp
Signature : ink + name     | image
Seal      : embossed       | high-DPI image
Reply mode: appear / counsel | pay / Skype

[Authority ladder] eCourts → court registry → cybercrime.gov.in → 1930 → local FIR

• Fake police notice PDF scam
• Arrest, FIR & notice rights
• Fake KYC update scam
• Fake Aadhaar update fraud
• Deepfake blackmail recovery
• UPI fraud recovery
• Social media hijack recovery

• eCourts Services: services.ecourts.gov.in
• Supreme Court of India: main.sci.gov.in
• High Court portals — linked from each state's HC official site
• MHA — I4C — cybercrime.gov.in · 1930
• PIB Fact Check — factcheck.pib.gov.in · WhatsApp +91-8799711259
• DoT — Sancharsaathi → Chakshu
• BNSS 2024 §63–§70 (service of summons)
• BNS 2024 §319 (cheating), §336–§338 (forgery, forged electronic record)
• IT Act 2000 §66C (identity theft), §66D (impersonation)

++++ Can a real lawyer / process server WhatsApp a copy after physical service? | A scanned copy can be sent after the original was served. The first-touch summons by WhatsApp alone is the scam signature. ++++

++++ Why do scammers use court / police imagery? | Because fear of contempt / arrest is the most reliable lever in any high-pressure social-engineering script. ++++

++++ Is “online hearing link” ever a scam? | Genuine online hearings are scheduled inside an existing case; the link comes from the registry email. A first-touch link to a stranger is fake. ++++

++++ Can I be jailed for ignoring the WhatsApp summons? | No — because no court has actually summoned you. The fake document creates no legal obligation. ++++

++++ How long does the cyber cell take to act? | Domain takedown: 24-72 h with a clean cybercrime.gov.in submission. Investigation: weeks to months. ++++

A fake court summons works because the average citizen doesn't know how a real summons is served. Once you've seen BNSS 2024 §63 in action — physical, signed, sealed, by an officer — the WhatsApp PDF is obvious for what it is. Save the eCourts URL, save your district court's registry number, and never let a deadline-bearing stranger pull you onto a Skype call.

This page is part of RTI Wiki's Citizen Crisis Response Network. Updates tracked through MHA / I4C advisories, PIB Fact Check, and Supreme Court / High Court press releases.