Unemployment Relief Scams on the Rise During COVID-19

Scammers abuse unemployment schemes

• According to new intel reports, a Nigerian cybercrime group, Scattered Canary, swindled millions of dollars from the US unemployment systems that were meant for jobless people.
• The crooks stole personally identifiable information of claimants and used them to file fraudulent state unemployment funds.
• So far, the fraudsters have targeted unemployment departments in Washington, Florida, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Wyoming.

Preying on job loss fear

• In the time of this unfortunate pandemic that has caused unemployment rates to skyrocket, cybercriminals took advantage of job loss fear to target users.
• Threat researchers detected a phishing email scam that purported to be quarterly review from HR and asked recipients to join a fake Zoom Meeting, failing which they would be terminated.

Job listing scams on the rise

• Since the pandemic hit in December, the Better Business Bureau has reported more than 13,000 job listing scams in North America alone.
• The scammers prey on people’s fear and sense of urgency as they look for their next paycheck.
• Often, these scammers use keywords like ‘work-from-home’, ‘work-at-home’, ‘quick money’, and ‘immediate hire’ to trap unsuspecting job seekers in their job hunting schemes.

Staying safe

• Job seekers should exercise caution while looking for jobs online.
• Never respond to unsolicited emails or text messages that ask to share personal information.
• Don’t rely on information from unofficial sources or websites that claim to provide unemployment benefits.
• Strictly ignore messages that ask to wire money in exchange for unemployment benefits. Remember, it’s free to file.