Recognizing common signs of a scam can help you avoid costly mistakes. Scammers exploit publicly available information and often pretend to be Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) employees. They will claim there’s some sort of problem with your filing, pressure you to act immediately, and demand that you pay a fee or provide personal information.
Some will even call you and use names, numbers, and locations of real OWCP employees to try to steal your money or personal information.
Signs to Watch Out For
- OWCP employees NEVER ask for your payment information over email or text messages, nor will they ever require payment via wire transfer, gift cards, cash, check, or money order to third-party addresses.
- Scammers often demand immediate action or payment that is not actually due and is usually paired with a threat of losing your benefits if you don’t comply. Authentic OWCP communications will not threaten or make demands and will provide written correspondence when collecting payment information or informing you about benefit changes.
- Official U.S. Department of Labor and OWCP website addresses end in “.gov,” and emails directly from OWCP end in either “@ecomp.dol.gov” or “@dol.gov.”
- OWCP stands for “Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs.” Any variation of that agency name is not part of the OWCP, such as “Workers’ Compensation Board,” “State Workers’ Compensation Board,” or “Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.”
- Some individuals or companies may say that they’re recommended by OWCP. OWCP does not recommend specific individuals or companies to assist in any way with the processing of claims filed.
Common Scams
Keep an eye out for the common scams described below.
Website spoofing is when scammers copy the dol.gov or dol.gov/agencies/OWCP websites hoping you mistake the fake websites for the official ones. Their goal is usually to steal your personal or payment information.
Look closely at the website domain name if you click on a link or see a website and suspect it may be a scammer. The official Department of Labor and OWCP domains are ‘dol.gov.’ For example:
www.dol.com/agencies/OWCP (spoofed website)
www.dol.gov/agencies/OWCP (official website)
If you see a spoofed OWCP website, do not enter any personal information and report it to zzOWCPSECURITY@dol.gov
Phone number spoofing is when a scammer deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity. They call customers and falsely claim to be employees of DOL or OWCP and trick you into providing personal information or paying excessive or nonexistent fees.
They may tell you that your claim will not be processed or your benefits will not be received unless you pay certain required fees.
Here's what you can do if you receive a spoofed phone call.
When you submit a claim with OWCP, a claims examiner will contact you about your claim forms. Scammers take advantage of this by impersonating claims examiners to trick you into paying nonexistent fees.
How scammers might contact you with a scam email:
- They send personalized emails including details like a random case ID number and the OWCP or DOL logo to make the email look official.
- They request sensitive information by stating you’re required to provide personal information, documents, forms, or your payment information in a response email.
- They fake credibility. Scammers may create or forward a fake email chain that appears to come from a legitimate OWCP claims examiner. These emails falsely claim that additional filings with personal information or fees are due and demand that you reply to the email.
- They offer to “help.” Scammers offer to complete fake work for you, for a fee.
- They email you with fake promises to accelerate the processing of your claim. They pressure you to pay an upfront fee and agree to only communicate through email and text messages.
These emails look official at first glance, however, official OWCP emails sent directly to you will end in “@ecomp.dol.gov” or “@dol.gov.” For example:
smith.john@dol.com (scam)
smith.john@dol.gov (official)
smith.john@ecomp.dol.gov (official)
How to protect yourself
- If your claim hasn’t yet been assigned to a claims examiner, call the OWCP program you filed the claim in (FECA: 202-513-6860, Energy: 866-888-3322, Black Lung: 800-347-2502, Longshore/DBA: 202-513-6809) to confirm if the email is genuine.
- If you have a recent letter from the OWCP regarding your claim, you can call the number shown in that letter to confirm the email is genuine.
- Compare the sender's email address to the OWCP domain name. Let your computer mouse hover over the sender’s email address and see if a different underlying email address pops up. If it does not end in “@ecomp.dol.gov” or “@dol.gov” it is not an official email.
- Look for slight misspellings in the email and read the fine print on the communication.
You might receive deceptive or misleading solicitations in the mail. Scammers try to convince you to use their business’ services to avoid costly fines, loss of your benefits, or loss of your claim filing. You might receive these notices at any time—after you file, or even after your claim has been processed and a decision has been issued.
These solicitations attempt to appear as legitimate as possible, and may include terms like “United States,” “Department of Labor,” “DOL,” “Office,” “Agency,” “Workers’ Compensation,” or “OWCP” as part of their business names.
Don’t be fooled by an offer for services that aren’t required or typically needed. For example:
- Scammers use company names like the DOL or OWCP. They send official-looking communications with demands that you use their services or take other actions to process your claim or receive benefits for a fee.
- Solicitations sometimes contain fine print explaining the person or company isn’t a federal agency.
How to protect yourself
- If you have an identity-verified account with OWCP’s Employee’s Compensation Operations & Management Portal (ECOMP) online system, you can view all official documents in your case file to determine if the letter is genuine.
- Call (FECA: 202-513-6860, Energy: 866-888-3322, Black Lung: 800-347-2502, Longshore/DBA: 202-513-6809) if you suspect the letter is not genuine.
- Research the company or entity that contacts you to see if they’re legitimate and to decide if it is offering a service you actually want or need.
You cannot sign someone else’s name or allow someone else to sign your name on OWCP claim forms or other documentation, especially without the claimant’s knowledge. Doing so would be considered a false statement leading to significant legal repercussions, because:
- Submissions that are illegitimately signed are invalid and potentially fraudulent.
- All documents must be personally signed by the person identified in the submission, unless the person identified is a properly appointed authorized representative.
If you see your signature on a submission and you (or your authorized representative) didn’t personally enter the signature, contact us at zzOWCPSECURITY@dol.gov