# 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:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/21 "2023-11-21T19:13:12Z")
> [@susan](#): > > 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. > > [https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/fraud-alert-scammers-claiming-be-doj-preying-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. That alert says people are being called. In general these scams are only over the phone. Numbers can be spoofed and they catch people off balance when they call. Someone is going to take their time with a letter and research if it’s real. The phone calls cost what internet service and a VPN cost. Mailings are expensive. Probably not a scam and easy to verify. ---
**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, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/22 "2023-11-21T19:42:15Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > The phone calls cost what internet service and a VPN cost. Mailings are expensive. Probably not a scam and easy to verify. I get “scam” mail from time to time. However, I put scam in quotes because they’re typically just on the edge of being illegal. One business will send, what appears to be, an invoice to businesses to renew their domain name in hopes of the business paying them without noticing the small print that says it’s not an invoice. In fact, [here’s the same one](https://northwoodswebdesigns.com/b/nwduploads/domain-registry-letter.jpg). It’s a common enough scam that it has it’s own wiki page. > **[Domain name scams | Domain slamming](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_name_scams?useskin=vector#Domain_slamming)** > > Domain slamming (also known as unauthorized transfers or domain name registration scams) is a scam in which the offending domain name registrar attempts to trick domain owners into switching from their existing registrar to theirs, under the pretense that the customer is simply renewing their subscription to their current registrar. The term derives from telephone slamming. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/23 "2023-11-21T20:02:46Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > The letter doesn’t say what the lawsuit is about which is annoying. How could any legitimate legal organization NOT state why they are contacting you and why you are a victim? That’s a Big Red Flag to 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, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/24 "2023-11-21T20:09:31Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > > [@Grrr](#): > > > > The letter doesn’t say what the lawsuit is about which is annoying. > > How could any legitimate legal organization NOT state why they are contacting you and why you are a victim? > That’s a Big Red Flag to me. - Along with “_may_ be a victim of a crime”. ---
**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, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/25 "2023-11-21T20:38:43Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > How could any legitimate legal organization NOT state why they are contacting you and why you are a victim? > That’s a Big Red Flag to me. On the assumption that it’s real, they may be trying not to divulge personal info in the mail. You might not want other people to know the nature of the crime. Especially if this is an initial contact and they have yet to verify that you’re you. ---
**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, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/26 "2023-11-21T20:57:48Z")
You probably got the correct percentage rate on carry over charges. I doubt I ever used that card much. Charging gas on a credit card with a high rate always seemed stupid to me. (I’m guessing that was a reason for a class action lawsuit) ---
**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, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/27 "2023-11-21T21:12:02Z")
I pay it off every month. I don’t what to have to go inside and TALK to someone. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2023, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/28 "2023-11-21T22:00:10Z")
Hence your avatar. 😉 ---
**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 22, 2023, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/29 "2023-11-22T01:27:01Z")
I think that’s a guy thing, perhaps Southern guy thing. We go through the express lane without a cart and pay in cash. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2023, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/30 "2023-11-22T05:55:12Z")
I received a check last month for $25.04 from a class action settlement from Ikea. I don’t believe I ever filled out any claim paperwork, and had no receipts easily available from the time period referenced in the class action settlement website I found. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2023, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/31 "2023-11-22T06:24:46Z")
If the letter contains a victim identification number and a PIN, I would go to the DOJ website and check it out, if it were me. There is a legit Victim Notification System (maybe check if you remembered the last word wrong?) and there are ways to get money from a criminal case – restitution. Checking out what it’s about would seem important to me, because it could be a crime I’m not even aware of, or something that would change my security practices. But I’m a highly curious person, too. On the side note of class action payouts, I just recently got $200 from the Safeway class action that had something to do with Buy One Get One sales (I think). I also procrastinated my way out of something like $300 for defective Google phones. I just needed to send in the info – I had two defective phones – but I didn’t get it in in time. What I did just now, and what I would do if I got a letter like that, is to go directly to the legit US DOJ website home page, then try to navigate from there to the place named in the letter. Compare what you’re seeing there to the letter. Does it line up? There are numbers provided in the letter, which, from the legit DOJ site can verify that they really did send you something, and tell you what that something is about. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2023, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/32 "2023-11-22T15:33:35Z")
I got $220 for something to do with thyroid medication and $80 or so from Microsoft. Most of the others were small. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2023, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483/33 "2023-11-22T15:52:15Z")
Back when fax machines were more common, I was in 4 different class action suites over junk faxes. A guy basically quit his job to concentrate on fighting junk faxes. The four suits I was involved in netted me $200-$300 each. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-department-of-justice-really-wants-me-to-contact-them-for-some-reason/993483.md?page=1)