# The US Department of Justice really wants me to contact them for some reason **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 21, 2023, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483 "2023-11-21T15:42:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/1 "2023-11-21T15:42:51Z")
So I’ve been getting these letters from the DOJ. In it it basically says I may have been a victim of a crime and to contact them for a class action lawsuit. The letter doesn’t say what the lawsuit is about which is annoying. Anyway, I just blew it off thinking if it pays off it would probably be for like $20 or something. Not really worth my time. But these guys keep sending me letters. They REALLY want to hear from me I gather. I just don’t understand why they want to hear from me so bad. Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/2 "2023-11-21T15:46:50Z")
Are you _sure_ it’s from the DOJ? Can you post a photo or scan? ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/3 "2023-11-21T15:53:34Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > victim of a crime and to contact them for a class action lawsuit. I’m assuming this is your interpretation, because criminal acts are not prosecuted in lawsuits. But the Department of Justice does undertake lawsuits for non-criminal violations of law, so that can make sense. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/4 "2023-11-21T16:02:22Z")
My thought, exactly. This sounds SO fake. It’s so easy to take a picture of an official letterhead, insert it onto the top of a blank word page, and fill in your bullshit below. Dollars to donuts it’s a phishing scam. As a humorous side note, I have been a winner in exactly one class action suit. I received a check for $0.37. Yep, that’s ZERO dollars and thirty-seven cents. LOL ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/5 "2023-11-21T16:08:00Z")
Yeah I just reread the letter it says they are part of the “VNS” The Victim Notification Center. (A division of the doj) Yeah I’m not going to contact these guys. It’s just too weird for me. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/6 "2023-11-21T16:10:51Z")
Bingo. It’s a scam. Though they’re learning. It’s not the Victim Notification Center Department/Company/Division. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/7 "2023-11-21T16:15:41Z")
I have been part of class actions five or six times. The most I ever got was just over two dollars (and the others were all under one dollar). ---
**Author:** ![mjmartin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3d9bf3/32.png) [@mjmartin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mjmartin)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/8 "2023-11-21T16:16:31Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Yeah I just reread the letter it says they are part of the “VNS” The Victim Notification Center. (A division of the doj) It looks like this is a real thing (the VNS, not necessarily your letter). > **[Victim Notification System](https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-vns/victim-notification-system)** ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/9 "2023-11-21T16:19:46Z")
Hey, me too. I’ve gotten $0.37 check too. We must’ve been in the same class action suit. 😊 ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/10 "2023-11-21T16:20:30Z")
Wow! If I remember right, it was an oil company. By the way, I did deposit it. I figured if 5 million people got a check for $0.37, laughed at it, and then threw it out, it would save the bad guys a ton of money. Not on my watch! LOL ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/11 "2023-11-21T16:22:56Z")
I was trying to remember. I thought maybe it was Shell oil. I had a Shell oil credit card at one time. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/12 "2023-11-21T16:23:59Z")
Wow, what a coinky-dink! It’s nice meeting another big winner. 😆 ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/13 "2023-11-21T16:24:32Z")
I’ve gotten payments up to $20ish. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/14 "2023-11-21T16:24:54Z")
Yeah, the **[Victim Notification Program](https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-vns)** (not Center) is a real thing maintained by the DOJ. I did find one hit for “Victim Notification Center” which appears to reprint a collection of press releases about compensation for fraud. So this is might be legit government spam, in a scenario where they’re going after some criminal operator and they’re trying to gather all the possible victims based on available records of people who might be connected to the business in question. Is there a phone number in the letter? The official number on the DOJ website is 1-866-365-4968 (1-866-DOJ-4YOU). If that’s the number, then this might not be a scam. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/15 "2023-11-21T16:27:26Z")
I wonder how many checks like that are laughed at, stuck in drawers, or shredded and never cashed? It must be a pretty penny. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/16 "2023-11-21T16:28:04Z")
Probably fraud: > The Office of Justice Programs’ Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) has received multiple reports that individuals claiming to represent the Department of Justice are calling members of the public as part of an imposter scam. The department strongly encourages the public to remain vigilant and not to provide personal information during these calls, which appear to target the elderly. > **[Fraud Alert: Scammers Claiming to be with DOJ, Preying on Elderly](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/fraud-alert-scammers-claiming-be-doj-preying-elderly)** If in doubt, contact DOJ (look them up, don’t use info from the letter) and ask. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/17 "2023-11-21T16:29:15Z")
Agreed, and the company in question is getting away with paying very little if anything. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/18 "2023-11-21T16:30:49Z")
The company may be settling for dimes on the dollar of their misgotten gains, and the the lawyers involved take 90% of that. Hence, settlement checks that cost more to mail than the value of the individual payout. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/19 "2023-11-21T18:41:09Z")
I have a Shell card, where the hell is my thirty seven cents? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/20 "2023-11-21T18:48:43Z")
Searching google for the contact information they asked you to use should be a pretty quick and easy way to figure out if it’s legit. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483.md?page=2)