South Snohomish County Crime Watch Hot Sheet: UNEMPLOYMENT SCAM – Scammers Use Text Messages and Social Media

The Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) says it has received reports of text messages claiming to be from Washington eServices inviting you to click on a link.

The text message says that your eServices account needs your “immediate” attention (misspelling the word immediate).

ESD notes that it will not ask for information on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram, etc. Apparently, it has received reports of scammers making realistic looking Facebook pages for state agencies. The scammers lead claimants to emails or web pages that ask for private, secure information.

ESD also will not ask for,

· Credit card or bank account information.

· The Social Security numbers for your family members.

· Gift cards or to make payments over the phone.

· Your account login/password or access to eServices.

· Your Social Security number over email. They will ask for it over the phone and on eServices. If you do not want to give your full Social Security number, ESD will accept your last 4 digits.

ESD recommends that you,

· Be careful of fake ESD websites. ESD official websites include ESD: esd.wa.gov, ESD eServices: secure.esd.wa.gov and WorkSource: WorkSourceWA.com.

· Be aware of the current known scams.

· Remember that applying for unemployment benefits is free. ESD will not charge you to apply for your unemployment benefits.

· Do not respond to text messages asking for information for your unemployment claim. ESD does not correspond via text message.