anybody else notice theres been TONS of unemployment fraud lately?? like 3 people at my job had this happen in the past 2 months. the system is broken!!

Quick update on the child support aspect: When unemployment fraud affects child support payments, you should also contact the New York Child Support Helpline at 1-888-208-4485 and request to speak with their Fraud Investigation Unit. Specifically ask for Form CSE-2025-F, which is their new specialized form for reporting benefits intercepted through identity theft. Also, have your child's mother contact them separately to verify her payment method preferences are correct in the system. Sometimes fraudsters change not only your information but recipient information as well to redirect payments.

Thanks everyone for the responses! I feel much better knowing I'm not alone with this weird daily certification thing. I'll keep certifying daily and documenting everything until they fix it. I'll try to get through on the phone too, and might check out that Claimyr service if I keep hitting dead ends. Really appreciate all the advice!

Let us know when it gets fixed for you! I'm on day 6 of this nonsense and getting REALLY tired of doing this EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!!

has anyone else noticed that they NEVER send you email updates about backpay reviews?? like they'll email about regular stuff but when it comes to actually giving you YOUR money suddenly they go silent

UPDATE: I just wanted to thank everyone for your advice! I tried calling using that Claimyr service that @profile6 mentioned, and I actually got through to a claims specialist in about 15 minutes! The agent confirmed my account was flagged for fraud review due to login attempts from multiple locations (which I never did - definitely someone trying to hack my account). She escalated my case and said I should see my back pay within 7-10 business days. She also noted that they needed an additional form of ID verification which I was able to provide while on the call. Fingers crossed this finally resolves it! Will update again when/if the money comes through.

I'm in a similar situation and called the NY unemployment help desk about ID.me issues. They told me that even though ID.me is a third-party service, NYSDOL can sometimes override verification issues if you can prove your identity directly to them. The representative suggested sending a secure message through the unemployment portal with clear photos of your identification documents. Include your claimant ID and a brief explanation of the ID.me issues you're having. This worked for me after 3 failed attempts with ID.me. Key point though: Document EVERYTHING. Save screenshots of error messages, note the dates/times you attempted verification, and record any reference numbers from ID.me. This documentation strengthens your case if they question why you couldn't file sooner.

my cousin works at nysdol and says they're getting TONS of id.me complaints lately. apparently there was a system update in October that made it more strict. try checking the NY unemployment twitter or facebook - sometimes they post workarounds when lots of people have the same problem

the whole system is broken. i gotta certify every week but cant talk to nobody when theres a problem?? make it make sense!!!

Based on your description of payments stopping suddenly in February, this is likely related to the quarterly wage verification process that runs automatically in the system. For quickest resolution, log into your NY.gov account and check your messages and document section - there's often a request for additional verification that causes the payment pause. If nothing appears there, you absolutely need to speak with an agent. One effective method: use the 'request callback' feature on the website rather than calling directly. It became available in late 2024 and though it can still take 2-3 days, it's much more reliable than trying to call in. You'll find it under Account Settings > Customer Support > Request Callback.