Officials say scammers taking advantage of people seeking jobs in hard times

State officials are warning about scams affecting Oklahomans seeking jobs during the current economic downturn.

The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission has received complaints about Web sites that promise to provide unemployment-related services, such as filling out paperwork for jobless benefits for a fee.

Oklahoma Unemployment Commission Executive Director John Brock said Tuesday his agency does that for free and there is no reason for people to pay money to get their unemployment benefits.

Attorney General Drew Edmondson said at least one of the Web sites gives the appearance of being a government agency until one reads the fine print.

Edmondson's office is investigating the complaints to see if they involve civil or criminal wrongdoing.

In the meantime, Brock and Edmondson said consumers looking for work should go to the OESC Web site to make applications for unemployment benefits and learn about other free services provided by the agency.

"OESC is committed to helping Oklahomans file for unemployment benefits and access other workforce services in a quick, safe and secure way," Brock said. "Through online filing, unemployment call centers and Workforce Oklahoma locations across the state, our customers can do just that free of charge."

OESC is a major partner in Workforce Oklahoma, which has centers across the state to assist in job placement, job searches, skill upgrading, resumes, training providers and career navigation. In-person help with unemployment claims is also available.

Edmondson said some of the Web sites under scrutiny ask people to provide Social Security numbers and other personal data.

"Consumers should always be wary of providing their personal and financial data to unknown entities. This is especially true of the Internet," he said.

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On the Net:

www.unemployment.ok.gov.