Consumer alert: Workers’ compensation scam targeting Spanish-speaking workers | Islands’ Weekly

Published 1:30 am Friday, June 5, 2026 Submitted by the Washington State Office of Attorney General Nick Brown. Attorney General Nick Brown is warning Washington residents about a scam targeting injured, Spanish-speaking workers across the Pacific Northwest. This scam has not yet been documented in Washington, but Washington workers should be aware that they may be targeted. The scam Scammers contact the injured worker via phone, email, video call, text message, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger or social media apps and falsely claim to represent government agencies, law firms or courts. Communications may appear official because they include government agency seals, use government agency addresses, include signatures by government officials or identify the caller as a government representative, attorney or judge, but the communications are fraudulent. The scammers tell the worker that they must pay money to receive workers’ compensation benefits or to receive a settlement. Scammers may request payment in the form of gift cards, wire transfer or cryptocurrency. After the worker pays, the scammers cut off contact and take the injured worker’s money. In a variation of this scam, impostors try to convince the worker to appear at a fake online workers’ compensation hearing. The hearing may appear official and
Read More