MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — The Vermont Department of Labor is urging Vermonters filing for unemployment insurance to watch out for fraud after it received reports of fraudulent communications about COVID-19-related benefits being sent by email and text to Vermonters.
The senders have fraudulently stated that “eligible workers” could “receive COVID-19″ benefits from the department, officials said Tuesday. The messages state that the department will pay eligible workers $3,750 for COVID benefits and compensation and provide links to register.
The Labor Department said it was working with the state information technology security team, the Vermont attorney general’s office, state police, and multiple federal law enforcement agencies to deal with the issue. It’s urging Vermonters applying for benefits to only use the department’s website and sub-pages.
Vermonters are urged to report any fraud to the Labor Department and attorney general’s office. Information on prevention is on the department’s website.
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