AnswerSettlements

• The notice names a court and a case number, and the case name matches the company it is about.
• The administrator's website appears in the notice and on the court's docket, or on the official site that the court's records point to.
• You type the website's address yourself; you do not click a link in a text or email you did not expect.
• Nobody asks you to pay a fee, a tax or a "processing" charge to file or to be paid.
• Nobody asks for your bank PIN, online banking password or full card number to "deposit" a payment.
• The deadlines in the message match the ones on the official website.

Scammers copy real settlements. Be wary of a message that asks for money up front, wants payment by gift card, wire, crypto or a payment app, pressures you to act within minutes, or promises a set amount. Real refund and settlement programs do not charge you to get paid and do not guarantee a payment.

A real claim form may ask how you want to be paid, such as by check or a digital payment, once you have chosen to file on the official website. It never needs your PIN, your online banking password or the code from a text sent by your bank. If a message asks for those, stop.

A court's docket is the record of everything filed in a case. For a federal case, PACER lets you search by case number or party name; small charges apply, and they are waived for most people who use it lightly. Many state courts have their own online search. The notice and the order approving it should name the same administrator.

For a refund from a government case, the Federal Trade Commission lists its active refund programs and each administrator's contact on its own website.

Do not reply or click. Contact the administrator through the website you found yourself and ask whether the message came from them. If it is a scam, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state attorney general. If you already paid, contact your bank or payment service right away.

Next, see how to file a settlement claim. CaseHelp is not a law firm and is not a settlement administrator; this guide is general information, not legal advice.