Does NYS Department of Labor call you about unemployment claims or is it always a scam?
I keep getting calls from numbers claiming to be from unemployment asking me to verify information about my claim. My claim has been in adjudication for 2 weeks now and I'm wondering if these calls are legitimate or if NYS Department of Labor actually calls people. The caller asked for my SSN and claim details which made me suspicious. Has anyone gotten real calls from unemployment or should I assume these are all scams?
13 comments
Join the conversation
Isabella Ferreira
NYS Department of Labor does sometimes call claimants but they should never ask for your full SSN over the phone. They might ask for the last 4 digits to verify identity, but requesting your full social security number is a red flag. If you're unsure, hang up and call the main unemployment number to verify if they were trying to reach you.
0 coins
Malik Johnson
•Thanks! The caller did ask for my full SSN which seemed wrong. I'll call the main number to check.
0 coins
Ravi Sharma
I got a legitimate call from them last month when my claim was under review. They asked me to verify my work history and why I left my last job. But like the other person said, they only asked for last 4 digits of SSN to confirm it was me.
0 coins
Freya Thomsen
NEVER give your SSN to anyone who calls you claiming to be from unemployment! These scammers are everywhere right now. If NYS Department of Labor needs to talk to you they'll send a letter or you can log into your online account to see if there are any issues. I've been getting these scam calls for months.
0 coins
Malik Johnson
•That's what I was thinking too. Better safe than sorry with identity theft being so common.
0 coins
Omar Zaki
Here's what I'd recommend - if you can't get through to NYS Department of Labor by calling their main number (which happens a lot), you could try using Claimyr at claimyr.com. They help you get connected to actual unemployment agents when the phone lines are jammed. There's a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. That way you can verify directly with a real agent whether they were trying to reach you.
0 coins
AstroAce
•Never heard of that service before but sounds useful. Getting through to unemployment by phone is nearly impossible most days.
0 coins
Chloe Martin
yeah i got called too but it was legit, they wanted to know about my job search activities since my claim was flagged for review. but they definitely didn't ask for my full social just confirmed who i was with last 4 digits
0 coins
Diego Rojas
Same thing happened to my sister! She was so paranoid about the call but it turned out to be real. They were calling about her adjudication and needed to clarify something about her separation from work.
0 coins
Malik Johnson
•How did she know it was real? Did she call back to verify?
0 coins
Diego Rojas
•Yes she called the main number the next day and they confirmed they had tried to reach her. The issue got resolved after that call.
0 coins
Yuki Yamamoto
I work at a local community center and we've been seeing a lot of people getting these fake unemployment calls lately. The scammers are getting really sophisticated - they even spoof numbers to make it look like they're calling from official government agencies. My advice is to never give out personal info on an incoming call, even if it seems legitimate. If NYS DOL really needs to reach you, they'll leave a voicemail with a callback number you can verify, or send official mail. When in doubt, always call them back using the number from their official website.
0 coins
GalaxyGuardian
•This is really helpful advice! I've been getting similar calls and wasn't sure what to do. The spoofing thing is scary - how are people supposed to know what's real anymore? I'll definitely stick to calling back using official numbers only. Thanks for sharing what you're seeing at the community center.
0 coins