Austin – The Texas Workforce Commission is warning Texans about cleverly designed fake social media sites and imposter emails designed to look like they come from the agency, but which are really scams seeking to enable thieves to steal Texans’ identities. Texans seeking unemployment benefits are warned not to send any personally identifiable information or transact any business except through TWC’s unemployment insurance (UI) portal or Telecenters.
In addition, a recent scam using a spoof email address designed to mimic the TWC address, attempted to defraud some unemployment benefits recipients of funds by demanding direct deposit information in exchange for services. No authorized TWC representative will ever demand payment to expedite cases and TWC does not ever solicit information like social security numbers through email.
TWC does not conduct business or take personal information on its social media sites. Nonetheless, the legitimate sites can be valuable sources of information from the agency to the public. TWC will only send out useful information; if there is information needed for a particular claimant’s case, that person will be directed to either the UI portal or TWC’s Telecenters.
TWC’s authorized social media accounts, used for disseminating information only, include:
- Facebook: facebook.com/texasworkforcecommission
- Twitter: twitter.com/TXWorkforce
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/Texas-workforce-commission
All Texans should take steps to secure their identity online by practicing Internet security best practices. Treat your TWC account and all accounts like you would your bank account. The Texas Workforce Commission will investigate every unemployment benefit claim to confirm identity and to lock accounts that are fraudulent.
