Identity theft messing up my NY unemployment claim - freaking out!

Dude this happened to my cousin too! He got a random letter about benefits he never applied for. Apparently its happening A LOT right now. The fraud department is completely overwhelmed with cases. My cousin filed a police report and put fraud alerts on his credit reports immediately. The unemployment people told him he wouldnt be liable for the money but it took like 4 months to get it sorted out. Def file a police report asap!!!

After days of failing to get through to anyone at ny unemployment, I finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and got a callback with an actual human at the fraud department! Honestly it was worth every penny to finally talk to someone who could help me with my identity theft case. The agent was able to immediately flag my account and start the investigation process. When you're dealing with fraud, waiting weeks just trying to reach someone is absolute torture. https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

This EXACT thing happened to me in February! First things you need to do: 1. File an identity theft report with the FTC at identitytheft.gov 2. File a police report with your local precinct 3. Put a fraud alert on your credit with all three bureaus 4. Keep documentation of EVERYTHING It took about 6 weeks for my case to be resolved with NY unemployment. I never had to pay back any money since I could prove I was employed during that time. Make sure you tell them to flag your SSN in the system so this doesn't happen again.

OMG I'm literally going thru the same thing right now!!!! Someone has been collecting almost $500 a week on my account since March and I only found out when my employer got a notice. It's a NIGHTMARE trying to get thru to anyone. I've been calling the fraud hotline for over a week with no luck. 😫

Here's what you need to know about identity theft and unemployment fraud (I work in financial crimes): First, document EVERYTHING. Keep copies of all letters, emails, and take notes during phone calls (get agent names/ID numbers). Second, don't panic about tax implications. The unemployment office will issue a corrected 1099-G showing you didn't receive those payments once your case is resolved. Third, check ALL your credit reports and accounts for other suspicious activity. When thieves get your SSN, they rarely use it for just one type of fraud. The investigation timeline they gave you (8-12 weeks) is actually pretty standard. While you wait, I highly recommend freezing your credit with all three bureaus, not just placing alerts. If you're still struggling to reach someone at the unemployment office, try claimyr.com - it's a service that navigates the phone systems for you and gets you connected to a live agent. Many of my clients have used it successfully for unemployment issues. You won't be held liable for fraudulent claims, but you do need to stay proactive throughout the resolution process.

The unemployment system is a complete JOKE rn. They let scammers collect thousands but when legitimate people need help they make it impossible. I'm sorry you're dealing with this BS. 😡

Contact your local state representative's office! That's what I did when I couldn't get through to anyone. They have special liaisons who can escalate your case with unemployment. My case was resolved in 3 weeks after my assemblyman's office got involved.

I known someone who works at ny unemployment (not in fraud dept tho). She says theyre getting hundreds of these cases every day now. The system wasnt designed to handle this level of fraud. Hang in there but expect it to take awhile to resolve unfortunately 😕

FREEZE YOUR CREDIT NOT JUST FRAUD ALERTS!!! Fraud alerts just mean lenders should take extra steps to verify your identity. A FREEZE means no one (including you) can open new accounts until you lift it. Way more protection.

This happened to my mom last year and I helped her fix it. Here's what we had to do: -Called unemployment about 50x before getting through (this was before I knew about claimyr.com which honestly woulda saved us hours) -Filed identity theft report with FTC -Filed police report -Contacted all three credit bureaus -Filled out an unemployment fraud affidavit -Sent in copies of her ID and social security card It took almost 3 months to get totally resolved, but she didn't have to pay anything back. The most annoying part was fixing the tax stuff because she got a 1099-G with like $11k she never received.

not to freak u out more but watch ur mail carefully!!! sometimes the scammers will try to redirect your mail to get more of ur documents. might wanna set up USPS informed delivery so u can see what mail is coming everyday.

I used to work for the IRS and dealt with identity theft cases. One thing people don't realize: GET AN IDENTITY PROTECTION PIN FROM THE IRS! This will prevent scammers from filing fraudulent tax returns in your name, which often happens after unemployment fraud. Go to irs.gov and search for IP PIN.

Lol welcome to the club nobody wants to be in 😭 Dealing with this since June and STILL not resolved. The ny unemployment system is a joke. Keep calling and documenting EVERYTHING.

CHECK YOUR CREDIT REPORT IMMEDIATELY!!! These scammers don't just stop at unemployment fraud. They could be opening credit cards, loans, etc. Download the Experian and Credit Karma apps and check everything!

i dont understand how this keeps happening??? like how is the unemployment system so broken that random people can just file using someone else's SSN and actually get PAID?? no verification at all?? make it make sense 🤦‍♂️

If you need to get through to a human at ny unemployment FAST, try calling right when they open (like 7:59am) or use claimyr.com - I wasted 2 weeks trying to call before finding claimyr and got through same day.

Just went through this exact sitchuation last month. After dealing with the fraud department (which took FOREVER to reach), make sure you also contact the tax department separately! They're different units and don't always communicate well. You'll need to request a corrected 1099-G form for your taxes.

not to be a downer but my brother's been fighting this same battle since Feb and still hasn't gotten it fully resolved. keep detailed records of every call and conversation. the system is completely overwhelmed right now.

This might sound crazy but try reaching out on Twitter too! Tag NYSDOLCommissioner and NYGovCuomo in a tweet about your situation. Sounds dumb but sometimes the public complaint gets faster action. Worked for me!