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 cannot 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 do not reach you on WhatsApp. This page shows you how to verify the document in five minutes and report it.

BNSS, 2023 — service of summons
Court summonses are issued under BNSS, 2023 §63 in writing, in duplicate, sealed, and served physically by an officer of the court or by registered post — never by WhatsApp, email, or SMS link.

A court summons received on WhatsApp / email / SMS is almost always a scam. Verify on 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 summonses under BNSS, 2023 §63 are physically served, signed by the presiding officer, and bear the court seal. Report fake summonses at cybercrime.gov.in (or call the 1930 national cybercrime helpline) 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, 2023 §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 the PDF leads to a “Registrar” who switches you to a “Police Officer” who starts a Skype “digital arrest” call.
3. Confine — You are 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 is in writing, in duplicate, signed by the presiding officer, and bears 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.

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 the Supreme Court — www.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 — covered by eCourts services
6. If the case number / your name does not 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, the sender's WhatsApp / email, and the document properties (often reveals the fake author)
3. File at cybercrime.gov.in on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (NCRP) — “Report Cyber Crime” → categorise as impersonation / online financial fraud; note the acknowledgement number
4. If money has moved, call the 1930 helpline immediately — the I4C-run national cybercrime line for live UPI / account freeze
5. Forward to PIB Fact Check (WhatsApp +91-8799711259) for public-warning amplification
6. Forward to DoT Sancharsaathi → Chakshu for fraud-call / SMS / WhatsApp reporting
7. Lodge a local police FIR under the BNS, 2023 — §318 (cheating), §319 (cheating by personation), §336–§340 (forgery / forged electronic record / using a forged document as genuine), and IT Act 2000 §66D (impersonation)
8. Block the WhatsApp sender; report inside the chat → Block + Report
9. Loop in family / a 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, 2023
§318/§319 + §336-§340 + 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 the forgery
  2. WhatsApp / email metadata of the sender
  3. Phone / Skype number on the PDF
  4. Printout of the eCourts case-search showing "no record"

I request registration of FIR under BNS, 2023 §318 (cheating),
§319 (cheating by personation), §336-§340 (forgery / forged
electronic record / using a forged document as genuine), and
IT Act §66D (impersonation). Please coordinate with the I4C
(NCRP 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 on Customer Protection (unauthorised electronic transactions): zero / limited liability if reported within 3 working days
• RBI Ombudsman — under RB-IOS, 2021 if the bank stalls
• Consumer court — for the 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; confirm the case does not exist
2. 5–15 min — File at cybercrime.gov.in; forward to PIB Fact Check
3. 15–25 min — Block sender; gather screenshots; loop in family
4. 25–30 min — If money moved, call 1930; send the bank a dispute email
5. +24 h — Local police FIR; cyber-cell submission
6. +72 h — RBI bank-dispute window for any debit

• 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: www.sci.gov.in/case-status
• High Court portals — linked from each state HC's official site
• MHA — Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) — cybercrime.gov.in · helpline 1930
• PIB Fact Check — factcheck.pib.gov.in · WhatsApp +91-8799711259
• DoT — Sancharsaathi → Chakshu
• BNSS, 2023 §63–§70 (service of summons)
• BNS, 2023 §318 (cheating), §319 (cheating by personation), §336–§340 (forgery / forged electronic record / using a forged document as genuine)
• IT Act 2000 §66C (identity theft), §66D (impersonation)

A scanned copy may be sent after the original was served. The first-touch summons by WhatsApp alone is the scam signature.

Because fear of contempt / arrest is the most reliable lever in any high-pressure social-engineering script.

Genuine online hearings happen inside an existing case; the link comes from the registry email and the case is on the cause list. A first-touch link to a stranger is fake.

No — because no court has actually summoned you. The fake document creates no legal obligation.

A UPI / bank-account freeze on a clean 1930 + NCRP complaint can move quickly; full investigation takes weeks to months.

No. Service is through the Registry / a process-server / post under the Supreme Court Rules, never WhatsApp.

No. Names and partial Aadhaar fragments leak from voter rolls, e-commerce breaches, and data brokers. Personal data on a PDF does not authenticate it. Verify on eCourts.

Where a court emails a hearing link, the case is already in its system and the summons was physically served first. A first-touch email “summons” to someone with no existing case is fake.

Yes — file at Sancharsaathi → Chakshu for WhatsApp / SMS / call fraud. Also forward the message to WhatsApp via in-chat Report and to [email protected].

Yes. BNS, 2023 §318 / §319 and §336–§340 plus IT Act §66D are cognisable offences; cyber cells handle court-impersonation complaints as routine.

Last reviewed: 17 July 2026.