Be Aware of COVID-19 Unemployment Schemes

There have been reports of a variety of unemployment schemes involving Nigerian cybercriminal groups filing fraudulent unemployment claims in various states. These criminals have already received hundreds of thousands of dollars in stolen funds.
 
Unemployment claims have been filed for people who have lost their jobs and even those who haven’t. There have already been examples of this fraud in New Hampshire as well as other states across the country.
 
With COVID-19 still impacting the world, hackers of all sorts are taking advantage of the pandemic and the opportunities it has presented. Tips to protect yourself from these scams include:
  • Review your credit regularly
  • Do not open emails you are not expecting
  • Do not click on pop ups or free gift ads
  • Do not provide personal information over the phone unless you have called the source directly through a phone number that you trust such as one on a confirmed website or that you have used before
  • Update your computers, smart phones and other devices with the most recent updates and security software updates available
If you think you’ve been sent something that involves a COVID19 fraud scheme, contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) hotline at 866.720.5721 or disaster@leo.gov.
Please also contact us if you are concerned that you may have fallen victim to a COVID-19 scam, so that we can assist you with protecting your accounts and identity.
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