Scammers pose as attorneys and judges to target Alaska ESL workers, state warns

The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development is warning of a recent increase in scams aimed at Spanish-speaking and English-as-a-Second-Language workers. The scammers pose as attorneys and offer to represent workers in workers' compensation cases, wrongful termination matters, immigration hearings and other legal issues, the department said Friday in the October newsletter of its Office of Citizenship Assistance.

Victims pay money up front. Then they are placed into fake hearings by phone or video, where the scammers play the judge and the other parties, the department said. The scammers often tell victims they have been awarded tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars but must pay "court fees" before they can collect it. "This is a scam," the department said.

The department said it will never call a worker to ask for money. All official hearings happen in person at a State of Alaska office.

The department's Workers' Compensation Division has posted a separate alert about a nationwide scheme targeting Spanish-speaking people. In it, impostors pose as workers' compensation judges and demand attorney fees before they release benefits that do not exist. "The Alaska Workers Compensation Board will never ask for money to grant benefits," the division said. The division's Special Investigations Unit investigates fraud allegations involving employers, injured workers and care providers. The division keeps a fraud hotline at 888-372-8330.

The Office of Citizenship Assistance helps refugees and legal immigrants with job referrals and information about their rights at work, including discrimination, wrongful termination, harassment and unsafe working conditions. The department re-established the office within the commissioner's office in 2023. It is at 3301 Eagle St., Suite 100, in Anchorage.

Alaska News has previously reported on scammers posing as the PFD Division and as state liquor regulators.

Workers with questions can call Workers' Compensation at 907-269-4980; Wage and Hour at 907-269-4900 for paycheck deductions; Alaska Occupational Safety and Health at 907-269-4940 for workplace safety and retaliation concerns; or the Office of Citizenship Assistance at 907-754-3470.

The department urged workers who think something is suspicious to contact it before giving anyone personal information or payment.