Phone and Email Scams

Email Scam Targeting State Bar Associations and Legal Professionals

June 25, 2025 - Albuquerque. N.M. - An active email phishing campaign is currently targeting several state bar associations as well as their licensees across the country, including Alabama, Arizona, Oregon, Utah and Montana. While we have not yet confirmed any direct targeting of the State Bar of New Mexico, we are proactively scanning for indicators and taking precautionary steps.

What to Watch For:

The fraudulent emails are impersonating state bar executives or state bar IT staff using their real names and titles and are designed to appear legitimate. Common traits include the following:

• Sender Spoofing: Emails may come from addresses like john.doe@sbnm.org.virumail.com. Note: Legitimate State Bar of New Mexico staff email addresses end with @sbnm.org.
• Vague or misleading language: Often referencing secure communication or document requests.
• Urgent tone: Designed to prompt immediate action without proper verification.

Example Scam Message:

“As part of our ongoing efforts to ensure the confidentiality and security of sensitive information, we are reaching out to confirm your preference for secure communication…”

What You Should Do:

• Do not reply, click on or open any suspicious links or attachments.
• Report the email to your organization's IT department immediately if you receive a message that seems off, even if it appears to come from a known State Bar of New Mexico email address.
• Be extra cautious with emails referencing secure communications or urgent requests.

If you receive a suspicious email, please do not respond, click on any links or download any attachments. Report the suspicious email to your IT department or MSP immediately for additional assistance.

Thank you for your attention and diligence in protecting your practice and our legal community.

Warning: Fraudulent Arrest Warrants for Failure to Appear and Contempt of Court Continue to Circulate in the District of New Mexico

March 25, 2025 - ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The United States District Court for the District of New Mexico has recently been notified of individuals being targeted with a variety of phone, text, and email scams. The targets have been contacted initially by phone or email by an individual claiming to be a member of local law enforcement. Emails often include an attached fraudulent Warrant for Arrest alleging the target failed to appear for either jury duty or as a witness for a grand jury. Targets may be asked to meet the caller at the “federal bonding building” to pay a fine and post bond, or they may receive a series of text messages or phone calls from various phone numbers with New Mexico area codes, advising that if a fine is paid immediately, the matter will be promptly dismissed. The name given by the scammer or appearing on the fraudulent warrant may be an actual judge, court employee, or member of the law enforcement/legal community, which helps the scammer legitimize their threats. The request for payment is not always made during the initial contact and payment methods requested include credit card, bitcoin, and pre-paid gift card.

The U.S. District Court will never ask for sensitive information in an unsolicited phone call or email and will not assess a fine or penalty for failure to appear in federal court without first having the person appear before a judge.

It is a crime for anyone to falsely represent himself of herself as a federal court official and such an offense is taken very seriously by the federal judiciary. Persons receiving such an email, text, or telephone call should not provide any requested information or pay any fines and should contact the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) at (505) 889-1300, select option #1 when prompted, to report the incident. In the District of New Mexico, the individual may also contact the United States District Court at 505-348-2000 to verify that there are no matters pending before the federal court in their name, or visit our website www.nmd.uscourts.gov/federal-court-related-scams to learn more about court-related scams. Many of these scams intertwine federal and state courts, and individuals may also benefit from contacting their state court to ensure no matters are pending before that court. State court information can be found at nmcourts.gov.

Stay current with the United States Courts – District of New Mexico by visiting
www.nmd.uscourts.gov

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Read full press release here. 

Email Scams Targeting Legal Professionals

Nov. 11, 2024 - There has been a recent surge in email scams targeting legal professionals nationwide. These emails often appear to be official communications, asking you to respond to court filings or urgent legal matters. Please be advised that these emails may contain malicious links or attachments intended to compromise your systems and access sensitive information.

To protect yourself and your practice, please remember the following:

• Verify the Source: If you receive an unexpected email about a court filing, especially from an unfamiliar sender, contact the purported sender directly through a known phone number or alternate, official email address to confirm its authenticity.
• Avoid Clicking Suspicious Links or Attachments: Scammers often include links or files that may look legitimate. Do not click or download anything unless you are absolutely sure of the sender’s identity.
• Look for Red Flags: Phishing scams often contain unusual language, urgent requests or vague references to case information. Be wary of any email that feels off or demands immediate action.
• Maintain Strong Cybersecurity Practices: Regularly update your software, use strong, unique passwords and enable multi-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security.

If you receive a suspicious email related to court filings, please do not respond, click any links or download any attachments. Report the suspicious email to your IT department or MSP immediately for additional assistance.

Thank you for your attention and diligence in protecting your practice and our legal community.

Beware of Possible Phishing Attack Emails

July 11, 2024 - The State Bar of New Mexico's IT department has been alerted to a possible phishing attack that has targeted the members of other Bar Associations around the country. Our IT department is in close contact with the other Bar Associations around the country to proactively protect our membership from being affected. Please be aware that you may receive a possible phishing attack email purported to be from the State Bar of New Mexico. It will be from a domain address such as:

• @members-nmbar.org
• @member-nmbar.org
• @members-sbnm.org
• @member-sbnm.org

These are fraudulent domain names. If you do receive this email, please disregard it, do not respond to it, and do not click any links that may come from it, especially if you have already responded to it. 

If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact the State Bar of New Mexico's IT Department at 505-797-6018 or techsupport@sbnm.org. Thank you for your continued diligence in security.