PENNSYLVANIA, USA — The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) has become aware of multiple attempts by fraudsters to obtain individuals' personal and confidential information through fake Facebook pages and is reminding Pennsylvanians to never provide their information to anyone over social media.
"Unfortunately, the availability of new federal unemployment money is causing a surge in fraud attempts," said L&I Acting Secretary Jennifer Berrier. "L&I does not communicate directly with individuals over social media, including Facebook."
L&I operates a Facebook page under the name "PA Department of Labor & Industry" and handle "@PALaborIndustry." Several similarly-named pages have appeared over the past few days, and some scammers have posted on L&I's legitimate page pretending to be L&I employees.
Important tips
• L&I's Facebook page has a blue check box next to the name that identifies it as a verified page.
• Comments by the legitimate L&I page also have a blue check box next to them indicating it as a verified page. If a comment or page does not have this check box, it is a fraudster posing as L&I.
• L&I does not post responses directly to claimants, send private messages, or ask for a private message to be sent.
• L&I also will not ask individuals to call or text a phone number. The only phone numbers for unemployment are:
o 1-888-313-7284 (for UC/PEUC/EB claimants)
o 1-855-284-8545 (for PUA claimants)
• L&I will not ask for individuals to send an email. The only email addresses for unemployment are:
o uchelp@pa.gov (for UC/PEUC/EB claimants)
o ucpua@pa.gov (for PUA claimants)
L&I is working with its partners, including Facebook and law enforcement, to quickly identify and remove fraudulent pages. Individuals who encounter a suspicious page or post are asked to flag it for staff review.
For more information on identifying fraud, what to do if you believe you have been a victim of fraud, or how to report fraud, visit L&I's website.
SOURCE: PA Dept. of Labor & Industry
