Jeffco Officials Warn Of Cyber Crime Against Employees

JEFFERSON COUNTY, CO — Fraudsters are targeting employees who are working from home, Jefferson County officials warned in a public notice issued Friday.

The criminals are sending termination phishing emails and meeting invites, and citing COVID-19 as the reason for the messages, cyber security experts said.

Employees are working from home in far higher numbers since the COVID-19 outbreak hit, and scammers "have seized on the increased telework environment and uncertainty surrounding the pandemic," officials said.

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Messages included vague, attention-grabbing subject lines such as, “Termination Review Meeting,” according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The emails give instructions that describe how to process out from the company, and direct the employees to click potentially malicious 'hotlinks' to receive termination benefits, officials said. The emails contain a spoofed domain address, and employees who click on the link receive a black screen.

>> More information about the fraud and recommendations for preventing the crimes can be found here.

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