The fake lawyer with your real lawsuit

A WhatsApp message arrives with a law firm's photo and *your real case details* — the case number, the parties, sometimes your actual lawyer's name, mined from public court records: "Good news — your case was won! The judge released your payment. To receive it, pay the court fees by PIX today, or the money returns to the government."

Everything checks out — except the one thing that matters. Money you win in court arrives without you paying anything first. Courts deduct their fees; they never charge you through PIX to "release" funds. Elderly INSS litigants are the prime target, and courts have rolled out extra security because of exactly this scam.

What to do: before any payment, call your own lawyer on the number you have always used — not the number in the message. A real victory will still be a victory tomorrow; only the scam has a deadline.