Director of the Bureau of Unemployment Compensation, Laura Boyett speaks to us about  how Some unemployment claimants in Maine and elsewhere will soon have to submit proof that they were employed when they lost a job due to the coronavirus pandemic.  Also The Maine Department of Labor is warning the public of scammer’s attempts to phish individual’s personal information via text message while posing as the Department. They will usually include links claiming to lead to information about unemployment benefits, which do not end in ‘.gov.’

The Department is asking the public stay vigilant – it does not conduct business via text, and will never ask for sensitive information via social media or text message. If an individual receives a text message about unemployment benefits, or from someone claiming to be the Department of Labor or Bureau of Unemployment Compensation, it is a scam and should be ignored.