Be super careful with how you report. I was in a similar situation and I accidentally put the wrong hours one week. Ended up with a huge mess that took months to fix. If you're unsure about anything, try to talk to a rep before certifying. It's nearly impossible to get through on the phone, but I used claimyr.com and they got me connected within an hour.

my friend works at the unemployment office and says the BIGGEST mistake people make is not reporting when they start working. even if it's part time, u gotta report it. u can still get benefits (reduced obvs) but if u don't report at all they'll consider it fraud

Another vote for claimyr.com here 🙋‍♀️ After struggling with the NY unemployment phone system for literally weeks, I used them and got connected to an agent in about 45 minutes. The agent was able to push my IDme verification through manually. Best decision I made throughout this whole unemployment mess.

idk why no one is saying the obvious but have you tried using a different device completely? my phone kept failing but my roommates iphone worked first try. something about the camera quality makes a huge difference.

go to ur local unemployment office in person!! seriously, waiting on phone or for website updates is useless. I went down to the office after having the exact same problem and they fixed it on the spot. bring ID and both bank account info with you.

My roommate is dealing with the EXACT same issue right now! He's been waiting for 3 weeks for a payment after changing banks. Called every day and finally got through yesterday - they told him his payment was "flagged for manual review" and is still being processed. Such BS.

Try calling (888) 209-8124 early in the morning like 7:55am (they open at 8) and keep hitting 0 repeatedly when the automated system picks up. Sometimes this bypasses the queue. Worked for me once!

Ya your benefits are done. I was in the same situation and finally got through to them after using claimyr.com - agent told me I needed to file a whole new claim since mine was exhausted. Getting through to a human was literally the only way I got a straight answer.

I'm so fed up with this broken system I can't even. Been on unemployment since october after getting laid off and every other week theres some new hurdle. Between the website crashing constantly, impossible phone lines, and now these confusing security texts, it's like they WANT us to fail. the whole ny unemployment system needs to be rebuilt from scratch i stg

After spending 3 weeks trying and failing to get through to ny unemployment on my own (literally hundreds of calls), I broke down and tried claimyr.com - had a real live unemployment agent on the phone within 2 hours who confirmed all my account details AND explained which notifications were legitimate. Best decision I've made in this whole unemployment nightmare.

jus walk in2 unemployment office n refuse to leave till they fix it. worked for me lol but I had to wait 4 hours

have u tried requesting a direct deposit instead of the keybank card? Sometimes easier to set up new payment method than fix issue with current one. Go into ur account settings and see if u can update payment preferences

I'm wondering if there was a data breach we don't know about. I'm seeing WAY too many of these posts lately. Maybe all our info is floating around the dark web from some hack.

Anyone else noticing these identity theft unemployment scams happening more in NY than other states? I have family in Ohio and California and they haven't had these issues...

have u tried the unemployment callback form on their website? Some people say it works but I personally never got a call back. Might be worth trying anyway, who knows

Try this hack: call the spanish language line even if you don't speak spanish. They usually have shorter wait times and most agents speak english too. Just say "english please" when they answer and they'll transfer you or help you directly.

I think its a glitch in there system. My husband had the same issue. His claim was stuck at $0 for 2 months. When he finally got someone on the phone they said it was becuz the computer system flagged his claim for "potential fraud" for no reason. Once the agent looked at it they cleared the flag and he got all his money in 3 days. So frustrating!!

I spent 3 months calling NY unemployment every single day with no luck. Finally broke down and used claimyr.com after seeing it recommended here. Got connected to an agent in 2 hours who fixed my claim on the spot. Sometimes you just need to talk to a human and this was the only way I could make that happen after months of trying. My backpay hit my account 5 days later.

Try contacting them through Twitter. Seriously. Tweet @NYSLabor with your issue (don't include personal info) and they'll usually DM you to get your details. Worked for me when nothing else did.

After many failed attempts I finally had success with claimyr.com - they got me connected with a live agent who helped fix my claim. It was worth every penny to finally get my backpay released. Highly recommend if you're desperate like I was.