Unemployment Identity Theft On The Rise, and How To Protect Yourself

A large-scale scam involving phony unemployment benefits claims has been making headlines. Criminals, possibly based overseas, are filing claims for benefits, using the names and personal information of people who have not lost their jobs. Most people learn they’re affected when they get a notice from their state unemployment benefits office or their employer about their supposed application for benefits.

Here are steps you can take to address this matter:

Alert your workforce. Tell your employer and co-workers about the scam. Fraudulent benefits claims should be reported to your Human Resources or Payroll Department as soon as possible.

Report the fraud. Check your state unemployment benefits agency’s website for reporting instructions. To report the fraud to the NYS Department of Labor, click https://www.labor.ny.gov/agencyinfo/uifraud.shtm

Visit the Federal Trade Commission. At IdentityTheft.gov, victims can report the identity theft to the FTC and get step-by-step recovery help. IdentityTheft.gov will guide employees through placing a free, one-year fraud alert on their credit, getting their free credit reports, closing fraudulent accounts opened in their name, adding a free extended fraud alert or credit freeze to their credit report, and more.

Monitor your credit. Continue to check your credit report with the three credit bureaus to make sure no suspicious activity as taken place aside from the unemployment benefits fraud.