The campaign comes at a particularly bad time when the pandemic has forced a record number of people out of work. These scams force governments to look into scams right at a moment when many legitimate claimants — in at least one case, officials have needed to halt payments after discovering phony claims.

It’s not clear what action (if any) American authorities can take to stop the fraud. However, the scams underscore the importance of protecting against identity theft, both for individuals and companies. They also make clear that governments need to tighten online security for unemployment and other systems that require sensitive info — strict safeguards for data don’t matter if there aren’t enough checks to make sure it’s being used properly.

There’s no question that losing your job is incredibly stressful, and since the COVID-19 pandemic began, millions of people in the US have been laid off or furloughed. In an attempt to ease some of the stress that causes, the mindfulness app Headspace is offering a free one-year subscription to anyone in the US who is now unemployed.

Anyone who qualifies can register at Headspace.com/unemployed. Headspace asks for the name of your most recent employer and your last date of employment, but it’s unclear if they do any cross checking or if this is an honor system. Once you sign up, you’ll get access to over 1,200 hours of meditation and mindfulness content, including sleep aids, kids content and mindful movement. 

Coursera is opening access to its online education in a bid to help those newly unemployed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gizmodo notes the service has made 3,800 courses and 400 specializations available for free through government agencies hoping to find jobs for residents. The courses teach top-level skills like business writing and job paths like app development, and you’ll find professional certificates from companies like Google, IBM and SAS.

Organizations have until September 30th to enroll workers, who themselves will have until the end of 2020 to complete their courses. Arizona, Illinois and Oklahoma will be the first states to offer courses in the US, while countries like Colombia, Costa Rica, Greece, Malaysia, Panama, Ukraine and Uzbekistan have followed suit abroad. In addition to expanding the number of states and countries, Coursera is also looking at offering courses through non-governmental organizations on a “case-by-case basis.”

As is the case in many countries, unemployment in the United States is skyrocketing as the COVID-19 pandemic forces millions out of work. Several means are available to help those in need, such as federal stimulus checks, but the measures vary by state. Google has rolled out an update to Search to help you figure out what benefits you’re eligible for.

When you search for “unemployment” in the US, Google will prominently display official guidance on what benefits are available in your state and how to claim them. The update follows other coronavirus-related information Google has added to Search, such as governmental updates about the pandemic, travel advisories and virtual healthcare options. For the last few years, Google has also offered job hunting tools in Search.

In the original decision, New York’s Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board said Luis Vega, a former courier with Postmates, was entitled to employment insurance benefits after the company fired him. In its subsequent decision, the Court of Appeals argued Postmates effectively “dominates the significant aspects” of a courier’s day-to-day by controlling where, when and to whom they can deliver food to while they’re on the job. The court’s judges felt that created an employer-employee relationship that exceeded the “incidental control” Postmates said it had over its couriers.

“The courts have solidified what we all have known for a while — delivery drivers are employees and are entitled to the same unemployment benefits other employees can obtain,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said. “As the nation battles the spread of the coronavirus and more and more employees are laid off, Postmates drivers should know they have the same safety net millions of others in New York have today.” We’ve also reached out to Postmates for comment, and we’ll update this article when we hear back.

While working for companies like Postmates and Instacart has always been something of a precarious proposition, the coronavirus pandemic has laid bare just how little job security gig economy workers enjoy. In a recent investor call, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told investors the company’s ride volume has decreased by as much as 60 to 70 percent in cities hardest hit by the virus. In Uber’s case, a lot of its drivers have been forced to take on delivery jobs to make up for the loss in income, putting themselves at further risk of getting sick with COVID-19.