Why real notices look fake
Courts require settlements to notify the class, so administrators send postcards and emails in bulk, often from unfamiliar addresses and with a Claim ID and a deadline. That's also what a scam would look like, so check before you click.
How to check one in five minutes
- Find the official website yourself. Search the company name with "settlement", or look it up on ClaimWell, where every settlement links to its official site. Then compare the address with the one in the notice.
- Check the details match. The company, the case name, the deadline and the amounts should be the same on the notice and the official site.
- Look for the court and case number. Real notices name the court and the case. Official sites post the court documents.
- Contact the administrator using the phone number or email on the official website, not one from the message you got.
Red flags
- A fee to file or to get paid. Filing a settlement claim is always free.
- Requests for passwords or full account logins. Real claim forms ask how to pay you, never for your bank or email password.
- Pressure in hours, not weeks. Real deadlines are set by the court and are usually weeks or months out.
- A website that doesn't match the one the court-approved notice names.
Some large payments need a tax form with your Social Security number. If one asks, enter it only on the official site you found yourself.
Every settlement on ClaimWell is checked against its court-approved notice, and each page answers "Is this settlement legit?" with its court, case and official website. How we check.