Due to the coronavirus pandemic, unemployment claims have skyrocketed to levels not seen in recent history. As a result, there has been a surge in unemployment fraud. In some cases, this could be attributable to identity theft.
Earlier in July, the FBI put out a press release confirming the increase in fraudulent unemployment claims due to stolen personally identifiable information (PII). They indicated this is happening in various states. Many people don’t realize they have become victims until they either try to file a claim or are notified in some way by the state, IRS or their employer.
Here are some links to a few different agencies and organizations regarding reporting unemployment fraud and handling identity theft. We encourage you to share this information with your employees, so they will be aware of the issue and can protect themselves and their families, when necessary.
- State unemployment agencies where you can report fraud, provided by Department of Labor
https://www.dol.gov/general/maps/fraud
- Q&A – What to do if you are victim of identity theft, provided by Federal Trade Commission
https://www.identitytheft.gov/Steps
- Information and resources to protect yourself and your family from fraud and identity theft, provided by National Crime Prevention Council:
http://archive.ncpc.org/topics/fraud-and-identity-theft.html
Workforce Acceleration and Workforce Administration customers can find additional resources regarding unemployment claims on the HR Support Center. The easiest way to access the HR Support Center’s tools and resources is through the Quick Links on your Client Landing Page in iSolved®, as seen below.
Should you need additional assistance or best practice guidance on this topic, please contact an HR Pro via the HR On-Demand feature in the HR Support Center.
