Warning about bailiff email scam

Scammers are posing as bailiffs to demand payment from individuals.

The scammer will claim that the person owes them money. Initially they will send and email under the guise of being a County Court Bailiff and try and pressure you into making a payment. They will then often follow up with a phone call appearing to come from an official phone line. They demand immediate payment to avoid having goods seized. These emails are not genuine.

The email or letter may look something like this:

If you’re unsure whether communication from a bailiff is genuine, you can check the details below.

A County Court bailiff:

• will only pursue a debt where a County Court Judgment has been registered (you can go onto your credit report to check whether it is genuine)
• will not telephone or send emails asking for money or make multiple calls in a short space of time
• will not ask you to transfer money into a bank account
• will not tell you to pay and say you can claim it back at a later date
• will not provide you with prefilled court forms to send in to defend a claim.

The bailiff will hand deliver any documents and will not take money there and then.

If you want to make a payment, they will give you the County Court number to call and you can pay by debit card.

If you do not think you owe anything, the bailiff will tell you to call the County Court. When calling the court, use Find a Court or Tribunal to find the correct court number.

This information was taken from the Government website.