Feds warn of fake unemployment benefit websites

WASHINGTON (WAND) - Fraudsters have been creating fake unemployment benefit websites in attempts to access personal information of consumers. 

The U.S. Department of Justice said the people behind these websites send spam text messages and emails in which they pretend to be from a state workforce agency (SWA), with a link contained in the messages. The websites are designed to trick people into thinking they're applying for unemployment benefits so they'll give up personally identifiable information and other sensitive details. he information can then be used by fraudsters to commit identity theft. 

People are asked to never click on links in text messages or emails that claim to be from an SWA offering an opportunity to apply for unemployment insurance benefits. People who need to apply for unemployment benefits should go to an official SWA website. A list is available here. 

"Schemes that use links embedded in unsolicited text messages and emails in attempts to obtain personally identifiable information are commonly referred to as phishing schemes," a press release from the DOJ said. "Phishing messages may look like they come from government agencies, financial intuitions, shipping companies, and social media companies, among many others. Carefully examine any message purporting to be from a company and do not click on a link in an unsolicited email or text message. Remember that companies generally do not contact you to ask for your username or password. When in doubt, contact the entity purportedly sending you the message, but do not rely on any contact information in the potentially fraudulent message."

Anyone who receives a text message or email claiming to be from an SWA that has a link or other contact information should report it to the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) by calling (866)720-5721. or using the NCDF Web Complaint Form. 

Those who believe they may have given information to a fraudulent website can find resources on protecting their information here. Resources about how a person can identify and protect themselves from phishing attempts can click here or here. 

The Justice Department's Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force website has further information about the SWA imposter scheme and other major scams targeting American consumers.