The Supreme Court of India has issued an urgent public advisory about a fraudulent website impersonating its official portal. This phishing attempt is designed to steal your personal and financial information. Here’s what you need to know to stay safe.
An Urgent Warning from the Top Court
The Supreme Court's Registry issued a notice on November 3, 2026, cautioning the public about a new fake website. The fraudulent domain, identified as 'scigovinjudicial.com', is designed to look exactly like the court's real website. The goal of these cybercriminals is to trick litigants, lawyers, and the general public into giving away sensitive information like login credentials, personal details, and bank account numbers. This is not the first time the court has had to issue such a warning; similar alerts were circulated in July 2025, as well as April and August of 2026, for different fake websites.
How to Spot the Fake Website
Cybercriminals are skilled at creating convincing copies of official sites. However, there are clear red flags you can look for. The most crucial step is to check the website's address, or URL. The Supreme Court of India has only one official website, and its address is sci.gov.in. Any variation, no matter how small, is a sign of a fake. The fraudulent website uses the address 'scigovinjudicial.com'. Notice the different ending and extra word. Genuine government websites in India almost always end in '.gov.in' or '.nic.in'. Be wary of addresses ending in '.com', '.org', or other commercial domains, even if they contain official-sounding words.
Protecting Your Information: Key Steps
The Supreme Court advisory emphasizes that it never asks for personal information, financial details, or other confidential data via its website. If a site asks for your bank details, credit card number, PIN, or passwords, it is a scam. Always be sceptical of links sent via SMS, WhatsApp, or email. Instead of clicking on a link, it's safer to type the official address (sci.gov.in) directly into your browser. Before clicking any link, you can hover your mouse over it to see the actual destination URL. If the destination doesn't match the official address, do not click it.
What to Do If You've Been Targeted
If you suspect you may have accidentally visited the fraudulent site or entered your information, you must act quickly. The Supreme Court advises that you should immediately change the passwords for all of your online accounts, especially for banking and email. You should also contact your bank immediately to report any unauthorised access and have them monitor your accounts for suspicious activity. You can also report cybercrime incidents to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal to help authorities track and act against these fraudulent operations. Taking these immediate steps can help mitigate the potential damage from a data breach.
A Broader Fight Against Cyber Fraud
This latest warning is part of a larger, ongoing effort to combat the rising tide of digital scams in India. The Supreme Court has recently been taking a broader role in addressing cybercrime, pushing for measures that hold financial institutions more accountable for losses suffered by victims. In recent proceedings related to 'digital arrest' scams, the court has suggested that banks should compensate victims if the fraud resulted from a failure in their due diligence. The court has also directed the Reserve Bank of India to create standard procedures for handling fraudulent transactions and called for better grievance redressal systems for victims. This shows a growing recognition at the highest levels that protecting citizens online requires a coordinated effort from government bodies, financial institutions, and an alert public.
