DEO fraud investigation over typo - had to get notarized form

Unfortunately, this is pretty common with Florida DEO. Their system flags accounts for fraud investigation over the smallest discrepancies. I went through something similar when my reported income was off by $240 compared to what my employer reported.\n\nThe notarized form is called an Affidavit of Identity Theft/Fraud and it's part of their standard procedure when accounts get flagged. Make sure you bring a photo ID, your social security card, and utility bills or other official mail to CareerSource. \n\nOne tip: call your state representative's office too. They can sometimes expedite these issues with DEO. The 72-hour timeline is... optimistic. It took about 8 business days for my account to be unlocked after submitting the form.

8 DAYS?? I can't wait that long! My rent is due next week! Do you remember which department actually handles these fraud investigations? Maybe I can try calling them directly?

THE EXACT SAME THING happened to me!!! My phone autocorrected my previous employer's name and they accused me of FRAUD!!! This system is RIGGED to deny people benefits by finding any tiny excuse. I had to do the notarized form too and it took them TWO WEEKS to fix it, not 72 hours like they promised!!! And guess what? No back pay for those weeks either! They act like WE'RE the criminals when THEY'RE the ones stealing weeks of benefits from us! The whole system is designed to make you give up.

wait did u get any kinda letter first? or did they just cut you off without warning? im worried cuz i think i might have put my work dates off by like a week and now im paranoid

Having the same issue right now. Found out it was because my employer spelled my middle name wrong on their forms (put Ann instead of Anne). Been waiting 4 weeks now after submitting the notarized form. The DEO lady on the phone said my case is

Have you guys tried Claimyr? I was having the same issues calling DEO - constant busy signals and disconnects. I found this service called Claimyr that got me through to a DEO agent in about 30 minutes. It was honestly the only way I could get any answers about my fraud hold. They have a good video explaining how it works: https://youtu.be/UzW_hbUy-ss?si=zORd51jeq1GX5Ldj. The website is claimyr.com if you want to check it out. It saved me from driving 2 hours to the nearest DEO office.

Update: I went to CareerSource today and it was a NIGHTMARE. Had to wait 3 hours to see someone. They gave me a form called \

thx for sharing ur experience. did they say anything about back payment for the weeks you missed? im in week 5 of waiting for my fraud hold to clear....

One additional piece of advice - make sure you keep claiming your weeks during this whole process, even if your account shows the fraud investigation status. If you don't claim the weeks, you won't get paid for them even after your account is restored. \n\nAlso, document EVERYTHING. Get the name of every DEO representative you speak with, the date and time of your calls, case numbers, confirmation numbers, etc. This will be important if you need to escalate your case or file an appeal later.\n\nThe DEO's fraud detection system is unfortunately over-sensitive, but they've had to deal with a lot of actual fraud cases since 2020, so they've made the system very strict.

I'm dealing with the same thing! My account is locked for \

I had to call like 73 times before I got through to DEO about my fraud hold. When I finally reached someone, they said the notarized form was just the first step. After they process that, they might need additional verification documents. In my case, they asked for W-2s from the past two years and a letter from my previous employer confirming my employment dates. Just a heads up that the notarized form might not be the end of it. And definitely contact your state rep - mine helped push my case through after I'd been waiting for almost 3 weeks.

Thanks for the tip about contacting my state rep! I just looked up mine and sent an email explaining my situation. I'll try that Claimyr service too because I'm desperate to talk to someone at DEO who can actually help. The waiting and uncertainty is killing me.

my cousin works at deo (wont say which office) and she says they have special codes for different types of fraud flags. if its just a typo or small discrepancy its coded as a \

LOL \

FINAL UPDATE: My account is finally fixed! It took 6 business days after submitting the notarized form, not the 72 hours they promised. But I'm just relieved it's resolved. \n\nHere's what worked: \n1. Submitted the notarized form at CareerSource\n2. Contacted my state representative (her office called DEO on my behalf)\n3. Used Claimyr to actually reach a DEO agent who could check my case status\n\nThe DEO agent I spoke with said the fraud investigation was triggered because my phone autocorrected my previous employer's name slightly. Apparently even small discrepancies can trigger their system.\n\nThank you all for your help and advice! For anyone else dealing with this - be persistent and use all resources available to you!

That's great news! Thanks for coming back to update us. It's helpful for others to know the real timeline. Did they release all your pending payments at once?

Yes, they released all my pending payments yesterday! The money hit my account this morning. Such a relief after all this stress. The DEO agent I finally spoke with was actually very helpful and apologetic about the situation. She said their system automatically flags accounts when there are discrepancies, and unfortunately, the fraud department is severely understaffed right now, which is why it takes so long to resolve these issues. \n\nFor anyone dealing with this in the future - definitely utilize all resources available (CareerSource, state representatives, and services that help you reach DEO). Being persistent is key!

So happy for you! I'm still waiting on mine to clear but this gives me hope. Did you have to provide any additional documentation beyond the notarized form?