ID theft with EDD - how to report when fraud line never answers?

I went through this exact nightmare last year. The regular fraud line is completely useless - they're overwhelmed with cases. Here's what actually worked for me: 1. File a police report with your local PD (they'll give you a case number) 2. Email identitytheft@edd.ca.gov with your case number and ALL details 3. Send a written letter via certified mail to EDD Fraud Investigation Division The email response took about 3 weeks but they stopped the payments. Also file an identity theft report with the FTC at identitytheft.gov and put a fraud alert on your credit reports. If you're still struggling to get through to anyone, I used Claimyr (claimyr.com) to actually get a live person on the phone. They have this service that calls EDD for you and connects you when they reach an agent. Saved me hours of redial hell. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10?si=TSwYbu_GOwYzt9km

omg this happend to me to!! its so anoying they never answer the phone. i tried for 2 weeks straight to get someone. file police report first thats what they told me when i finaly got thru

I'm an HR manager and we've had several employees deal with this. The EDD's fraud reporting system is completely inadequate for the volume they're handling. Beyond the standard advice already given, contact your company's HR department immediately. They should flag your account in their system and contest any unemployment claims filed in your name. Also, send a written statement to EDD via certified mail to: Employment Development Department PO Box 826880, MIC 83 Sacramento, CA 94280-0001 Include your full name, last 4 of SSN, contact information, and a clear explanation that you are employed and did not file for benefits. Request written confirmation that the fraudulent claim has been terminated. Most importantly, monitor your credit reports and consider putting a freeze on your credit. Identity thieves who have enough info to file unemployment often attempt other types of fraud.

this happened to my sister and she waited like 3 months before taking care of it and ended up with a HUGE tax problem. dont wait!!!!! the irs sent her a bill for taxes on benefits she never got!!

I'VE BEEN FIGHTING THIS FOR 5 MONTHS!!! EDD is completely useless and I'm about to lose my mind. Their "fraud department" is a JOKE. I've sent 8 emails, 5 certified letters, called 100+ times, and I'm STILL getting notices about "my claim" that I NEVER FILED!!! Just yesterday I got a letter saying I need to do a phone interview for a claim I never filed! The system is BROKEN!!! I've filed police reports, FTC reports, credit freezes, everything! Still waiting for them to fix this mess. My advice - document EVERYTHING. Every call, every email, every letter. You'll need it when you have to prove you tried to report it.

Identity theft with EDD claims became epidemic during the pandemic and unfortunately their systems haven't improved much. Here's the current process for reporting identity theft (as of 2025): 1. File a fraud report directly on the EDD website: https://askedd.edd.ca.gov/ - Select "Report Fraud" category - Select "Report Identity Theft" subcategory 2. Call the EDD Fraud Hotline at 1-800-229-6297 (yes, it's hard to get through, but legally you should try) 3. File a police report in your jurisdiction 4. Report to the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.gov 5. Contact all three credit bureaus to place a fraud alert 6. If you receive any tax forms (1099-G) for benefits you didn't receive, contact EDD's Tax Branch at 1-866-401-2849 I recommend sending all correspondence via certified mail with return receipt requested. This creates a paper trail proving you attempted to resolve the issue promptly. For the fastest resolution, try contacting your state assembly member or state senator. Their offices often have staff dedicated to resolving EDD issues for constituents.

Has anyone tried the ID verification through [ID.me](http://ID.me) to prove you're not the one filing the claim? I wonder if that would help in this situation?

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now and it's absolutely terrifying! Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and advice. I had no idea there was a specific email address for identity theft cases or that I should contact my state representative. One question - for those who successfully resolved this, how long did it take from start to finish? I'm worried about the upcoming tax season and whether this will be cleared up in time. Also, did any of you have issues with the fraudulent claim affecting your ability to file for legitimate unemployment benefits in the future? I'm going to start with filing the police report today and emailing identitytheft@edd.ca.gov. Fingers crossed this nightmare gets resolved soon!

I'm so sorry you're going through this - identity theft with EDD is unfortunately way too common and their system makes it incredibly difficult to resolve. I went through something similar about 8 months ago and it was absolutely maddening. Here's what I learned that might help speed things up for you: **Immediate steps:** - File that police report ASAP - you'll need the case number for everything else - Email identitytheft@edd.ca.gov with your case number, but also CC your state assembly member's office (find yours at findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov) - Document EVERYTHING with screenshots and save all correspondence **What actually worked for me:** - Contacting my assembly member's office was a game changer - they have EDD liaisons who can escalate cases - I also sent a complaint to the California State Auditor's office since EDD fraud is a known systemic issue - Put fraud alerts with all three credit bureaus immediately **Timeline reality check:** Mine took about 6 weeks total to fully resolve, but only because I got my assembly member involved early. The people still waiting months are usually stuck in EDD's regular channels. **Tax implications:** Make sure to keep all your documentation because you may need to file Form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit) with the IRS if you receive a 1099-G. Don't wait until tax season to deal with this! Stay persistent - you'll get through this! The system is broken but there are ways around it if you know the right channels.

I went through this nightmare 6 months ago and completely understand your panic! The fraud hotline is absolutely useless - I called over 200 times and got through maybe 3 times, only to be told they'd "escalate" my case and then nothing happened. Here's what finally worked for me: **Skip the phone entirely and go straight to:** 1. File police report first (get that case number!) 2. Email identitytheft@edd.ca.gov with ALL details and your police case number 3. Simultaneously send certified mail to EDD Fraud Investigation Division with the same info 4. Contact your state assembly member's office - this was the REAL game changer for me **Important:** Also file a complaint with the California Department of Consumer Affairs and the Better Business Bureau. Create as much of a paper trail as possible. The assembly member route got me connected to an actual EDD fraud specialist within 48 hours. My case was resolved in 2 weeks after months of getting nowhere through regular channels. **Tax warning:** Start preparing now for potential 1099-G issues. The fraudster may have already triggered tax forms in your name. Keep every document showing you reported this fraud because you'll likely need to prove to the IRS that you never received benefits. Don't give up - there are ways around EDD's broken system, but you have to go above them, not through them!

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this - EDD identity theft is unfortunately a huge problem and their systems are completely overwhelmed. I went through this exact situation about a year ago and it was absolutely terrifying at first. Here's what I wish I had known from day one: **Don't waste time with the fraud hotline** - I spent weeks trying to get through and it was completely useless. Go straight to these steps: 1. **File police report immediately** - you need that case number for everything else 2. **Email identitytheft@edd.ca.gov** with your police case number and full details 3. **Contact your state assembly member's office RIGHT AWAY** - this is the secret weapon everyone discovers too late. They have dedicated EDD liaisons who can actually get things done. **Critical tax protection:** - File Form 14039 with the IRS preemptively if you're worried about tax implications - Request a "wage transcript" from the IRS to see if fraudulent wages are already showing up in your name - Put fraud alerts on all three credit bureaus today **What actually got mine resolved:** My assembly member's office escalated my case to an EDD supervisor who called me within 2 days. The whole thing was cleared up in under 3 weeks once the right person got involved. The regular EDD channels are broken, but there are ways around the system. You've got this - just skip the front door and go straight to the people who can actually help! Document everything and stay persistent.

I'm dealing with this exact same nightmare right now! Just found out yesterday that someone filed unemployment in my name and I'm still working full-time. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been both terrifying and helpful - I had no idea this was so common or that EDD's fraud reporting system was this broken. Based on what everyone's shared, it sounds like the key is to skip the useless fraud hotline completely and go straight to: 1. Police report for case number 2. Email identitytheft@edd.ca.gov 3. Contact state assembly member's office immediately I'm also really worried about the tax implications since several people mentioned getting 1099-G forms for benefits they never received. @Dana Doyle - when you mentioned requesting a wage transcript from the IRS, is that something you do online through their website or do you have to call them? Thank you everyone for sharing your real experiences instead of just the "official" advice that clearly doesn't work. It's so frustrating that we have to become experts in navigating broken government systems just because criminals stole our identities, but at least now I have a actual plan that might work! Going to start with the police report today and then reach out to my assembly member. Fingers crossed this gets resolved before tax season becomes a complete disaster.

I'm so sorry you're going through this - it's absolutely maddening how broken EDD's fraud reporting system is! I dealt with a similar identity theft situation about 6 months ago and the stress was unreal. Here's what actually worked for me after weeks of getting nowhere: **Skip the fraud hotline entirely** - it's a complete waste of time. I called probably 50+ times and never got through to anyone useful. **What you need to do TODAY:** 1. File a police report and get that case number 2. Email identitytheft@edd.ca.gov with all details + police case number 3. Contact your state assembly member's office - this is THE most important step that everyone discovers too late **Pro tip:** When you email EDD, also CC your assembly member's office on the same email. This puts immediate pressure on EDD to actually respond. I also recommend filing a complaint with the California State Auditor (auditor.ca.gov) since EDD fraud is a known systemic issue they're tracking. The assembly member route was a game changer - their EDD liaison got my case resolved in 2 weeks after I'd been fighting it for months through regular channels. They deal with EDD disasters daily and know exactly who to contact. **Tax protection:** Start documenting everything now because you'll likely need Form 14039 for the IRS if any 1099-G forms get issued. Also put fraud alerts on your credit reports immediately. You're not alone in this - the system is broken but there are ways around it once you know the right channels. Stay persistent!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now and it's been such a relief to read everyone's experiences and advice! I discovered fraudulent unemployment claims in my name just last week and have been panicking about what to do. Based on everything I've read here, it sounds like the standard advice of calling the fraud hotline is basically useless, and the real solution is to bypass EDD's broken system entirely by going straight to your state assembly member's office. That's such a valuable insight that I never would have figured out on my own. I'm planning to follow the roadmap several people have outlined: 1. File police report for case number 2. Email identitytheft@edd.ca.gov with full details 3. Contact my assembly member's office immediately (and CC them on the EDD email) 4. File complaints with State Auditor and other agencies for paper trail 5. Put fraud alerts on credit reports and monitor for tax implications One question for those who successfully resolved this - did you ever find out how the identity thief got your information in the first place? I'm worried about what other accounts or documents might be compromised. Also, for anyone who had to deal with the IRS side of things, was Form 14039 difficult to file or did it help protect you from tax issues? Thank you everyone for sharing your real experiences instead of just the "official" steps that clearly don't work. It's given me so much hope that this nightmare can actually be resolved with the right approach!

I'm dealing with this same nightmare right now and honestly, reading through everyone's experiences has been both reassuring and frustrating. It's crazy how many of us are going through this exact same situation with EDD! I've been trying the fraud hotline for three days straight with zero success - just busy signals and disconnections. Based on what everyone's shared here, it sounds like I need to completely abandon that approach and go straight to: 1. Police report (doing this today) 2. Email identitytheft@edd.ca.gov 3. Contact my assembly member's office ASAP @James Maki - thank you for mentioning that specific email address! I had no idea it existed and was just getting lost in the general EDD website maze. @Dana Doyle @Zachary Hughes - the assembly member tip seems to be the real game-changer here. I'm looking up my representative right now. The tax implications are what's keeping me up at night. I'm terrified of getting hit with a 1099-G for benefits I never received. Going to file Form 14039 with the IRS preemptively based on @Miguel Ramos's advice. It's absolutely ridiculous that we have to become experts in navigating broken government systems just because criminals stole our identities, but I'm grateful for everyone sharing what actually works vs. what we're "supposed" to do. Time to skip the front door and go straight to the people who can actually help!