Verify it yourself

Is this summons real?

We can’t tell you whether your papers are genuine — nobody honest can, from a distance. But the court can, in about five minutes, and it’s free. Here’s exactly how to check.

The expensive mistake is assuming it’s fake. If a real lawsuit gets ignored, the plaintiff wins by default — without ever proving it owns the debt. Verify first, then act on what you find.

The five-minute check

  1. 1Read the court name, county, and case number off the top of the first page.
  2. 2Search your state court system’s public case search for that case number or your own name, where one exists.
  3. 3If there is no search, or you find nothing, call the clerk of THAT court and ask whether the case number exists and what its status is. Clerks answer this question all day; they cannot give legal advice, but they can confirm the record.
  4. 4Do not call a phone number printed on a suspicious letter to verify it. Look the court up independently.
  5. 5If the case is real, your deadline is already running — that is the part that actually costs people money.

Where to look, by state

Most states do not have a free statewide case search — that surprises people, and it is not a sign your papers are fake. Where a search exists we link it; where it doesn’t, the clerk of your court is the answer.

Not listed? Search for “[your state] courts case search” on your state judiciary’s own site, or call the clerk of the court named on your papers. Links verified July 2026; court websites change — if one is dead, go through your state judiciary’s homepage.

What a real filing carries

  • A court name and county at the top

    Real papers name a specific court — "Justice Court, Precinct 2", "Circuit Court, Dane County", "County Court of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit". A letter with no court name is not a lawsuit.

  • A case or index number

    A filed case has a number assigned by the clerk, usually top-right. That number is what you use to look the case up. No number means nothing has been filed yet.

  • A named plaintiff, and often its law firm

    The plaintiff is frequently a debt buyer you have never heard of — LVNV, Midland, Portfolio Recovery, Cavalry — not the bank you originally owed. Being unfamiliar is normal and is not evidence of a scam.

  • A deadline or a court date, stated as a rule

    Real papers tell you what to do and by when: answer within a stated period, or appear on a return/hearing date. The wording tracks your state’s rules rather than inventing urgency.

  • A clerk stamp, seal, or signature block

    Most filed summonses carry a clerk’s stamp, an e-filing stamp, or a signature. Quality varies by county, so a plain-looking copy is not automatically fake.

  • It tells you to respond to the COURT, not to pay a person

    A summons directs you to file or appear. It does not demand immediate payment to a private party as the only option.

Signals of a scam

  • It demands payment by gift card, wire, crypto, or a payment app

    No court and no legitimate creditor collects a judgment this way. This is the single strongest scam signal.

  • It threatens arrest, jail, or immediate wage seizure today

    You cannot be arrested for owing consumer debt in the United States. Garnishment requires a judgment and its own court process.

  • There is no court name, no case number, and no clerk contact

    A real lawsuit exists in a specific court record. Nothing to look up is a serious warning sign.

  • It pressures you to pay within hours and discourages verification

    Real deadlines are days or weeks and are stated as court rules. "Call this number in the next hour" is a pressure tactic.

  • It refuses to identify the original creditor or the amount’s basis

    You are entitled to ask what the debt is and who owned it. Refusal to answer in writing is a signal.

“I’ve never heard of the company suing me”

That is the single most common reason people think a summons is fake — and it is usually the most normal thing about it. Most consumer debt suits are filed by debt buyers that purchased the account after default and sue in their own name.

If it is real, your deadline is already running

Check it free — no account, no card. Answered tells you the rule for your state and points at the official sources, and says so honestly when your case isn’t something it can help with.

Case fit check

Check your deadline right here — free

Pick your state and when you were served. No account, no card.

$0 to start

Start with your state.

Then add plaintiff, court type if known, and service date from your summons. Upload can come next.

Don’t have your service date handy? Start free and upload your papers — Answered reads the date off your summons.

No lawsuit yet — just collector calls or letters? Pre-suit letters start at $35 →

$0 to check. One paid unlock if Answered can build your defense: the Full Defense Packet - $99, one-time. Prefer it handled? Filed-For-You totals $149 with Mail Filing where available. 60-day court-acceptance guarantee.

You pay only after your deadline and a preview. Self-help software, not a law firm.

32-state Full Defense Packet eligibility

Consumer debt lawsuit defense in 32 states. Start free — Answered checks whether it can build your defense before you pay anything.

Answered is self-help software, not a law firm, and cannot tell you whether your specific papers are authentic — only the court that would hold the record can. If you believe a communication is a scam, your state attorney general and the CFPB both take complaints. If you can afford a lawyer, hire one.