According to the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, Attorney General Nick Brown issued a warning regarding a scam targeting injured, Spanish-speaking workers across the Pacific Northwest. The scam has not been documented in Washington.
The Washington State Attorney General’s Office stated that individuals contact workers via phone, email, video call, text message, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or social media applications. The individuals falsely claim to represent government agencies, law firms, or courts. The communications utilize government agency seals, government agency addresses, and signatures by government officials.
According to the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, individuals inform workers that payment is required to receive workers’ compensation benefits or settlements. The requested payment methods include gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. Contact is terminated after payment is made.
A variation of the operation involves convincing workers to attend fraudulent online workers’ compensation hearings featuring individuals posing as judges, attorneys, or government representatives, according to the Washington State Attorney General’s Office. These hearings result in fraudulent orders, after which workers are told to pay money to receive benefits or settlements.
The Washington State Attorney General’s Office identified indicators of the scam, which include requests for money prior to receiving benefits or settlements, contact via social media applications for hearings or mediations, pressure to act or pay immediately, and requests for payment via gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency.
According to the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), the Washington Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals (the Board), and employers do not request payment prior to the receipt of workers’ compensation benefits. L&I and the Board do not request payment by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency. Official communications from L&I and the Board do not pressure individuals to act or pay immediately. L&I and the Board do not use social media or applications to communicate regarding hearings or mediations. The Board does not collect fees for hearings or mediations.
The Washington State Attorney General’s Office advises individuals to verify communications by contacting L&I at 360-902-4229 or InsServLanguageAccess1@LNI.wa.gov. Complaints can be filed with the Consumer Protection Division of the Washington State Attorney General’s Office.
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