Feds Seize Bogus Domain Name Posing As Department Of Labor Website
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Federal authorities have seized a domain name that claimed to be an official website for the U.S. Department of Labor but was actually a phishing scheme in disguise, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
The website—US-dolbids.com—was billed as a procurement website for the U.S. Department of Labor and mimicked designs and messaging found on the agency's legitimate website, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland said.
It even contained a hyperlink claiming to steer users to "Coronavirus Resources" provided by the federal government.
Website visitors were directed to login with their email addresses and passwords to bid on government contracts, federal prosecutors said, but in reality the portal was designed to steal users' credentials to exploit them for financial gain.
The website has since been taken down. Authorities did not specify how many, if any, visitors were fooled by the bogus website before its seizure and removal.
The seizure was part of the federal government's ongoing effort to crack down on and head off pandemic-related fraud.
Anyone with information about fraud involving COVID-19 can report it to the Justice Department's National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721. Tips can also be made online.
