THE COURTS SERVICE of Ireland has warned people about false emails claiming the recipient is being called for jury service.

The email, which has been reported to the Courts Service, has a subject line about jury summons and a reference number. 

The email states that the recipient’s address was selected randomly for jury duty. It warns that you would be committing a crime by not filling out the spam linked form.

However, the Courts Service said this is a spam email not sent by them or their IT system. 

“The Courts Service would never communicate in this manner via an email,” said the Courts Service in a notice.

“Other official communications are sent via either registered post, or summons or warrants for fines served by the Gardaí,” said a spokesperson for the Courts Service. 

In a notice issued on 20 February, the Courts Service advised people to ignore the spam emails. 

“The email is spam and could lead to fraud,” said the Courts Service warning. “It is a false instrument designed to mislead the recipient.”

The spokesperson said that anti-phishing software is catching the link in the mail for most people.

“Answering these mails is dangerous – as you are asked to provide personal details – or it can cause a second one to be forwarded seeking banking details for payment of a fine,” said the spokesperson.  

A similar situation occurred in 2017 with spam emails sent to law firms claiming to be from the Supreme Court office in Dublin.

An example of the spam email Courts Service of Ireland Courts Service of Ireland