OLYMPIA, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown is working to get ahead of scammers targeting injured workers.

In a statement, his office said that these scammers specifically seek out Spanish-speaking employees that filed worker’s compensation claims.

The scammers pose as government officials and contact victims through messaging apps to pay a fee before they can get their compensation. In some cases, victims were coerced into attending fake online court hearings before being asked for payment.

AG Brown is reminding everyone that the Washington Dept. of Labor and Industries (L&I) will never demand money before benefits are distributed. They also won’t contact workers through social media apps like WhatsApp or Messenger for official correspondence.

There are no reported instances of this scam in the state so far.