Skip to main content
The Oregon State Bar on Friday evening warned its more than 15,000 members about an unemployment benefits scam.
"Numerous Oregon lawyers are reporting that unemployment claims have been filed under their names with the Oregon Employment Department," an email from the bar told members. "The scam has been circulating for several months, and the scammers often have obtained victims' personal information, such as home addresses and Social Security numbers."
WW first reported the scam yesterday, based on the experiences of six lawyers.
Related: Portland Lawyers Targeted by Unemployment Insurance Scam
Several more lawyers told WW on Friday that they'd also been targeted, but the bar told its members there was no obvious reason for that to be happening.
"We'd like to share [that] the OSB membership systems do not store, cache or archive data needed for filing claims with the Oregon Employment Department," the bar said. "The OSB has not recorded any intrusive hacking activity related to a breach of member data, and we do not believe our system is involved in this scam."
It also appears, based on anecdotal reports WW received today, that non-lawyers are also being targeted.
The Oregon Employment Department encourages anyone who thinks their identities are being stolen to notify the agency, either via an electronic form that can be found here or the agency's fraud hotline at 1-877-668-3204.