If you're unemployed and living in Florida, be careful to enter the FluidNow URL properly. (Photo: ThinkStock)
When you enter the URL for FluidNow, you reasonably expect that your browser will take you to that exact site, rather than to an alternate site that threatens to create a quick payday for a devious cybersquatter by siphoning off your money or otherwise infecting your computer with malware that could capture your credit card number. Sadly, for Florida’s unemployed, just such a cybersquatter has been taking advantage of people who mistype the URL for FluidNow (Florida Unemployment Internet Direct). Something so simple as typing “wwwfluidnow.com” instead of “www.fluidnow.com” has been placing some Floridians seeking unemployment benefits on a harmful site that actually charges consumers to access their unemployment funds. This has been going on for a few months, according to WalletPop, and spoofing of FluidNow remains a problem.
FluidNow scam – another thing Florida doesn’t need
The continuing FluidNow difficulties couldn’t have come at a worse time. According to the U.S. Department of Labor and the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation, the unemployment rate in Florida is higher than average, two to three percent above the national average. As the recession continues, unemployment claims in the state remain high. Consumers in need who want to visit www.fluidnow.com (which redirects to www.floridajobs.org), but those who mistype the address are still being taken by the wwwfluidnow.com scam. Hence, Florida officials urge their state’s unemployed to use www.floridajobs.org to avoid any possible trouble.
Use www.floridajobs.org and call the Florida Attorney General
If you or someone you know is an unemployed Floridian who has gotten tangled in the FluidNow spoofing fiasco, you are urged to contact the Florida Attorney General at (866) 966-7226 or file a claim at http://myfloridalegal.com/.
Wwwfluidnow.com is based out of Australia
That should be the first sign that something is amiss. A Whois lookup confirms that the spoofing website does not even originate in the United States, let alone Florida. Cybersquatting and spoofing that take advantage of simple typos aren’t new phenomena, yet people still fall prey to their deception. Check out the WalletPop FluidNow article for some screenshots of how the site should appear vs. the impostor, and keep in mind that you DO NOT have to pay an additional fee to claim your unemployment benefits in any state. The quick payday should be yours, not an online criminal’s.
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