Fraud Scheme Targeting Injured Workers
The North Carolina Industrial Commission has been made aware of a workers’ compensation fraud scheme occurring in several other states. This is a sophisticated fraud scheme involving official-looking communications and fake hearings.
The scheme involves the impersonation of judicial officials, government employees, attorneys, and other workers’ compensation professionals for the purpose of stealing money from workers’ compensation claimants and other injured workers.
The fraudulent actors have contacted injured workers by one of several methods (phone, email, text, video call, or social media) and have convinced the injured workers to attend an online workers’ compensation hearing and pay money to receive an award of workers’ compensation benefits or a workers’ compensation settlement.
The fraud scheme appears to target Spanish-speaking workers’ compensation claimants and injured workers. Incidents have been reported in several Western and South Central states, as well as in Tennessee.
Important Information for Injured Workers
- Do not make any payment in exchange for workers’ compensation benefits or a workers’ compensation settlement.
- If you are asked to make a payment for workers’ compensation benefits or a workers’ compensation settlement, immediately report the incident to the Industrial Commission by emailing [email protected]or calling 888-891-4895.
- If you have concerns about the legitimacy of an email or phone call purporting to be from the Industrial Commission, do not respond to the email or click on any links in the email, and do not give any information to the caller. Instead, call the Industrial Commission Information Specialists at 800-688-8349 or 919-716-1700. The Information Specialists will be happy to help you determine whether the email or call was legitimate.
- Do not respond to any texts, video calls, or social media requests purporting to be from the Industrial Commission. The Industrial Commission does not contact workers’ compensation claimants by text, video call, or social media request.