Got random All Access MetBank Card in mail - something to do with NY unemployment?

Yeah I got one too about a week ago. I called the number on the back and they said it was legit for unemployment benefits. Apparently NY is switching some ppl from direct deposit to these cards. I was annoyed cuz no one told me this was happening but the customer service confirmed my info so I went ahead and activated it. My payment this week went on that card instead of my regular bank.

After dealing with this exact same issue last month, I finally got through to someone by using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com). They kept calling ny unemployment until they got through, then connected me to an actual human. Got everything sorted out in one call. My direct deposit is working fine again and I didn't need to use that random card. Best money I ever spent to get my benefits flowing properly again! Check out their explainer video if you're stuck: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

BE CAREFUL!!! This could be a scam! There's been a TON of unemployment fraud lately. I'd call the official NY unemployment number (not any number that came with the card) to verify if they actually sent you this. Some scammers are sending fake cards to collect people's info when they try to activate them.

DONT THROW IT AWAY! Even if you prefer direct deposit, they sometimes send these as a backup method. I got one last year and ignored it, then when there was a problem with my direct deposit, I had no way to access my benefits for 3 weeks while they sorted it out. Now I keep the card as a backup just in case.

I went through this exact same confusion last month! Here's what I learned after way too many hours on the phone: The MetBank All Access cards are legitimate and are part of NY unemployment's payment options. However, if you didn't request to change from direct deposit to a debit card, someone may have accessed your account and changed your payment method. What you need to do: 1. DON'T activate the card yet 2. Log into your NY unemployment account and check if your payment method was changed 3. Check if there are any other changes to your account (address, phone, etc) 4. Call unemployment directly at their official number When I was struggling to reach anyone, I used claimyr.com which got me connected to an agent within an hour after I'd been trying for days. The agent confirmed someone had tried to redirect my payments, but they caught it before any money was sent to the card. The unemployment system is completely overwhelmed right now, which is why scammers are having a field day targeting benefits. Stay vigilant!

MetBank is the official vendor for NY unemployment debit cards. BUT they would never just randomly switch you from direct deposit unless you requested it. Someone might have hacked your account. When I had this happen, I had to file a fraud report with both unemployment and the police.

Has anyone actually compared the fees between these prepaid cards vs just getting direct deposit? The government always partners with these banks that nickel and dime you for everything 😤

My roommate got one of these and it turned out someone had filed for unemployment using his identity! He had to go through this whole process to report the fraud. Call unemployment ASAP!

listen the unemployment system is so broken right now, nothing would surprise me. I've gotten random deposits, had payments stop for weeks with no explanation, gotten letters saying I'm approved after I've been receiving benefits for months... it's all a mess. Your best bet is to talk to an actual human at unemployment to confirm what's going on.

Just a heads up, there's a huge wave of identity theft happening with unemployment systems nationwide. NY got hit bad. Check your credit reports and consider putting a freeze on your credit if you didn't request this card.

i got one too!! but i actually requested to switch from direct deposit because my bank was putting a 3-day hold on all government deposits 🙄 so far the card works fine, no problems

if u didn't request a card and u still getting ur regular deposits, DON'T ACTIVATE IT!!! call unemployment RIGHT AWAY!!! someone probably hacked ur account and is trying to steal ur benefits! this happened to my sister last month

I've been on NY unemployment for 7 months now and I've never seen one of these cards (I use direct deposit too). Definitely suspicious if you didn't request a change. The fraud is out of control these days.

Guys, the NY unemployment system is a joke. I've been dealing with them for months. No matter what method they use to pay you, there's always some problem. Just this week they randomly stopped my direct deposit with no explanation. It's virtually impossible to reach them by phone unless you use one of those services that keeps calling for you (I used claimyr.com which actually worked). The whole system needs to be rebuilt from scratch.

Had a similar issue. Turned out to be legitimate, but I still prefer direct deposit. The card has all these random fees. I called every day for a week until I finally got through to someone who helped me switch back to direct deposit. Keep trying!