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State treasurer warns to phony text message scam aimed at those who have received unemployment compensation

The message tells recipients – inaccurately – that their “state-issued ReliaCard account has been temporarily frozen and asks them to click an embedded link.

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Note: The video is from July 28.

Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity issued a warning to residents Monday that scammers are using fraudulent text messages to target recipients of unemployment compensation.

The fake texts are aimed at those who have received normal unemployment compensation, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits, and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, Garrity said in a press release.

One message reportedly tells recipients – inaccurately – that their “state-issued ReliaCard account has been temporarily frozen,” according to Garrity. 

It then encourages recipients to click on a link “to verify (their) identity and card status.”

“If you get a text message like this, do not click on the link,” Garrity said. “This is a scam and nothing but a scam. Criminals have been aggressively targeting unemployment compensation benefits throughout the pandemic, and this is their latest attempt to steal money from honest Pennsylvanians.”

Garrity noted that neither the Pennsylvania Treasury nor the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry ever embed a link in a text message. 

Any text that includes a link and claims to be from Treasury or L&I is not authentic and should not be trusted, Garrity said.

More generally, said Garrity, it’s important to never provide any personally identifiable information, user IDs, or passwords unless you initiated the conversation by contacting the agency directly.

ReliaCards, issued by US Bank, are prepaid debit cards and are one method used to distribute UC benefits in Pennsylvania.

The Treasury’s website includes a page answering commonly asked questions about UC benefits

The Department of Labor & Industry, which administers UC programs in Pennsylvania, has an entire website dedicated to UC issues, including a page focused on UC fraud.

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