The Minnesota Judicial Branch is warning people about a scam that falsely claims that they have to appear in court.

Callers have told some district courts that they received an e-mail telling them to appear in court, according to a news release issued Monday. The e-mails, titled “Notice to Appear,” are scams and were not sent from the courts.

The messages contained a phone number for a local court, and asked the recipient to open an attachment, which is usually an attempt to spread a virus or access a computer’s information, the news release said.

“Callers should be aware that the e-mail did not come from the Minnesota judicial branch or the district courts,” the news release said.

Chao Xiong