the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned of threat actors sending phishing emails and text messages purporting to be from state workforce agency (SWA) websites. These emails contain links that, if clicked, direct users to spoofed unemployment benefit websites requesting users to enter personally identifiable information (PII) or other sensitive information. This data can be used to apply for unemployment benefits and/or commit identity theft.
The NJCCIC encourages users to educate themselves and others on these continuing threats and tactics employed by threat actors in order to reduce victimization. Users are advised to look for signs of spoofing , refrain from clicking on links and attachments from unknown or unverified senders, confirm the legitimacy of a request via an alternate means of communication before taking action, navigate directly to official websites, and exercise caution when divulging information. We also advise victims of PII compromise and identity theft to review the NJCCIC Informational Report Compromised PII: Facilitating Malicious Targeting and Fraudulent Activity.