How to Handle Unemployment Impostor Claims
States losing billions of dollars and thousands of identities stolen across the United States
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought the opportunity for scamsters to take advantage of state unemployment systems. The result is unemployment imposter fraud absolutely exploding, with states losing billions of dollars and thousands of identities stolen across the United States. The U.S. Department of Labor estimated states paid as much as $36 billion in improper benefits.
Source: https://wset.com/news/nation-world/states-have-lost-billions-to-unemployment-fraud
Below are some steps on what you can do if you believe you are a victim of unemployment impostor fraud
Step 1.
Report the fraud to your employer
Keep detailed logs of who you spoke to, what they said and time and date. Follow-up with summary email to that person so you have a written trail.
Step 2.
Report the fraud to your state unemployment benefits agency
List of state agencies can be found below on this page. Keep detailed logs of who you spoke to, what they said and time and date.
Step 3.
Report the fraud to FTC
IdentityTheft.gov is a free resource that can help you with information related to unemployment imposter scams.
Step 4.
Review your credit reports
For the next year, you can check your reports every week for free through AnnualCreditReport.com. This can help you spot any new fraud quickly.
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State Unemployment Insurance Fraud Resources and Links
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Additional Resources
The US Department of Labor has extensive resources regarding unemployment benefits fraud. https://www.dol.gov/general/maps/fraud.
The US Federal Trade Commission has a dedicated web site for identity theft prevention and solutions. https://www.identitytheft.gov