On March 5, the US Justice Department issued a warning informing the public that cyber-criminals have launched a campaign impersonating state workforce agencies in an attempt to lure in unemployed Americans and steal personal data. The Justice Department published the advisory after several reports that threat actors had been creating fake websites that mimic legitimate state workforce agency (SWA) sites.
The fake websites seek to trick customers into thinking they are applying for unemployment benefits, however, the sites harvest all inputted data such as personally identifiable information and sensitive material. The information is likely then used by cybercriminals to commit identity theft. Cyber-criminals have been sending spam text messages and emails claiming to be from SWA, including a link to a spoofed website in the message text.
