Scammers stage fake hearings to take money from Spanish-speaking workers, state warns

Scammers posing as lawyers are holding fake hearings by phone and video, with a fake judge, to take money from Spanish-speaking workers and others who speak English as a second language, the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development warned Friday.

The scammers offer to handle workers' compensation, wrongful firing, immigration and other cases for an up-front fee, the department said in a newsletter. They often tell workers they've won tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars but must pay "court fees" to collect.

The department said it never calls workers to ask for money, and that "all official hearings are conducted in person at a State of Alaska office." Its Workers' Compensation Division has posted a similar warning about a nationwide version of the scheme, saying the state's workers' compensation board "will never ask for money to grant benefits."

Workers can report suspected fraud at 888-372-8330 or call the department's Office of Citizenship Assistance, which works with immigrants and refugees, at 907-754-3470.

Scammers have also posed as the Permanent Fund Dividend Division and the state's liquor regulators this year.