Bankruptcy courts, debtors, and creditors nationwide are currently the target of several sophisticated scam operations using the U.S. Mail and/or electronic communications featuring the following:

1. A purported Proof of Claim form that the non-governmental sender states it will file on your behalf for a fee, sometimes contingent on recovery; or
2. Calls purporting to be from the bankruptcy court asking that filing fees and other payments be made by Zelle, Venmo, or other digital wallet application.

Please note that filing Proofs of Claim in bankruptcy is free in all cases and does not require an attorney or other agent to appear or file on your behalf.

Bankruptcy Court notices, including those noting a required fee or other payment, will appear on the official court Case Management/Electronic Case Filing (CM/ECF) docket as a “Notice” or will be mailed from the official Bankruptcy Noticing Center.

If you receive questionable communications related to any bankruptcy case, please contact a member of the Godfrey & Kahn Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring team. You may also contact the United States Trustee Program regional office near you, or the U.S. Trustee Program’s Bankruptcy Fraud Unit.