Email from the EEOC?  Beware of the Scam!

Imagine receiving an email from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) informing you that a harassment complaint has been filed against your organization.  Not only does the email address you personally by name, it also has your correct title and the proper name of your organization.  The sender has an "eeoc.gov" email address and the email itself contains the EEOC’s official letterhead.  You are told that the complaint, perhaps entitled "EEOC Charge No. 07-0345," is available on-line, and instructed to access the link to download and review the complaint.

Do you click on the link to review the complaint?  Absolutely not!

Welcome to the latest sophisticated on-line scam.   Had you clicked on the attached link, a phony complaint would have appeared on your screen.  Unbeknownst to you, however, the bogus complaint would have downloaded software that will transmit anything you subsequently enter online – such as passwords, credit card numbers, usernames, banking information and personal browsing, - to a Web site controlled by a criminal.  Before you could follow up with the EEOC to inquire about the complaint (or perhaps to tell them you have no employee by that name), another email from the same sender would appear in your in box, telling you that the complaint had been withdrawn and that nothing further from your organization is required.

Not only would it be uncommon to receive such an email from the EEOC, it would be against EEOC’s own policy to send such an email.  "The EEOC’s policy is to notify an employer of the filing of a charge of employment discrimination using the U.S. Postal System.  Because of security concerns, the EEOC does not notify employers of the filing of charge of discrimination via email."  Read the entire EEOC press release, "EEOC Alerts Public to E-Mail ‘Phishing’ Scam."

Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the EEOC fraudulent email is being circulated to approximately 1,000 recipients per day, and that number is growing exponentially.  Read the article "Web Scammer Targets Senior U.S. Executives."   We, along with the EEOC, strongly urge you to delete any such email immediately.  If you are still concerned that a possible charge has been filed, we suggest calling your local EEOC office to verify the existence of a charge.  You’ll be relieved to know that it doesn’t exist. 

If you have any questions regarding EEOC communications, please contact your Ice Miller attorney or Scott James Preston.

This publication is intended for general information purposes only and does not and is not intended to constitute legal advice.  The reader must consult with legal counsel to determine how laws or decisions discussed herein apply to the reader's specific circumstances.