Identity theft messing up my NY unemployment claim - random deposits showing up
Someone has been using my identity to claim unemployment benefits without my knowledge! I first noticed something weird was happening when I got an unexpected deposit of $412 in my checking account last month. I thought maybe it was a tax refund error or something. A week later, another $412 showed up. I called my bank and they told me these were coming from the NY Department of Labor. The problem is - I never filed for unemployment! I've been working full-time at the same company for over three years. I tried calling the unemployment office dozens of times but couldn't get through. Finally sent them a secure message through their website about the fraud, but they haven't responded for almost three weeks now. This morning I received a letter saying I need to certify my benefits or they'll be stopped. I'm concerned about my personal information being compromised and worried this could impact my taxes or credit score. I don't want to just keep the money since it's clearly not mine and I didn't apply for it. Has anyone dealt with unemployment identity theft? What should I do next? Should I contact the police? I'm worried about being accused of fraud myself if I just keep ignoring this.
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Grant Vikers
This is actually happening to a LOT of ppl right now. My sister had the same thing happen in August - someone filed using her info while she was still working. NY unemployment is so overwhelmed with fraud cases they're taking forever to resolve them. You need to file a police report ASAP and also put a freeze on your credit with all three bureaus. Don't spend that money whatever you do!
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Amaya Watson
•Thanks for the advice! I already froze my credit but didn't think about filing a police report. Did your sister have to go in person to file or could she do it online?
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Grant Vikers
•She had to go in person to our local precinct. Bring ID and any paperwork you got from unemployment. It took about an hour but they gave her a case number she could reference with unemployment.
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Giovanni Martello
•Make sure u also check ur credit reports! Sometimes these scammers have MORE of ur info than just whats needed for unemployment. Check everything!
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Savannah Weiner
I was stuck in a similar situation back in October. After weeks of calling and never getting through, I found this service called Claimyr that got me connected to a real agent at unemployment. They basically call for you, wait on hold, then connect you to an agent when one picks up. Best money I ever spent to finally get this resolved! Check out their site claimyr.com or this video explains it all: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE
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Levi Parker
•Is this for real? Been trying to reach someone for weeks about my issue. How exactly does this work?
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Savannah Weiner
•Yeah it actually works! They just keep calling the unemployment line for you and when they finally get through to an agent, they connect the call to your phone. Saved me like 7 hours of hold time 🙌
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Libby Hassan
•wait hold up - another company promising miracles with unemployment? sounds too good to be true tbh
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Savannah Weiner
•Not a miracle, just technology. They use an automated system to wait on hold instead of you having to do it yourself. The agent I talked to got everything sorted out in 15 minutes once I actually reached them.
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Hunter Hampton
•hmm I've been burned by so many of these 'services' before... what makes this different? unemployment system is like the final boss of bureaucracy 🤔
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Savannah Weiner
•I was skeptical too, but I was desperate after 3 weeks of trying. They connected me to an actual DOL agent who helped resolve my identity theft issue. All they do is handle the hold time - you still talk directly to unemployment yourself.
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Sofia Peña
Call the fraud department directly! The regular unemployment number won't help with this. The fraud number is easier to get through on anyway. Also, document EVERYTHING. Take screenshots of the deposits, save any letters you get, etc. This isn't just about the money - your whole SSN is compromised.
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Aaron Boston
This happened to my roommate last year. Here's what he did: 1) Filed police report 2) Called DOL fraud hotline (different from regular unemployment) at 888-598-2077 3) Filed report with FTC at identitytheft.gov 4) Sent certified letter to DOL explaining situation 5) Contacted his employer to confirm they could verify he was working It took about 2 months to resolve but eventually got cleared up. The DOL actually made him pay back the first payment that went into his account before they realized it was fraud, so DON'T SPEND THAT MONEY! Keep detailed records of every call/communication.
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Amaya Watson
•Thank you so much for this detailed response. Did your roommate have any issues with his taxes the following year? That's one of my biggest concerns.
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Aaron Boston
•He got a 1099-G form showing unemployment income he never received. Had to call DOL for a corrected form which took FOREVER but eventually got sorted. Start the process now cuz tax season gonna make it worse!
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Sophia Carter
•That fraud number is literally ALWAYS busy when I call. Been trying for days 🤬
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Aaron Boston
•Try calling right when they open at 8am. My roommate got through on his third attempt doing that.
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Chloe Zhang
Make sure to contact the three credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion) and put a fraud alert on your accounts! Also might wanna file a report with the FTC at identitytheft.gov - they give you a recovery plan with steps to take. NY unemployment fraud is crazy right now, you're def not alone in this nightmare 😩
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Amaya Watson
•I put a freeze on all three but didn't know about the FTC report. Will do that today, thank you!
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Brandon Parker
Listen, return the money to the DOL immediately! I've seen posts where people just ignore it and end up getting hit with fraud charges themselves because they kept benefits they knew weren't theirs. Send a check to NYSDOL with a letter explaining the situation and keep the certified mail receipt.
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Adriana Cohn
•Bad advice. DO NOT send a check without talking to DOL first! You need a case number and specific instructions on how to return it or it could get lost in their system.
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Brandon Parker
•Fair point. At least put the money aside in a separate account so it's not mixed with your regular funds. But definitely don't spend it.
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Jace Caspullo
•This happened to my cousin and he moved the money to a separate savings account until it was resolved. Smart move.
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Melody Miles
Try reaching out to your state representative's office! When I had an identity theft issue with unemployment last year and couldn't get through to anyone, my assembly member's office had a direct contact at DOL who resolved it in about a week. Google your district and give them a call.
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Nathaniel Mikhaylov
I work in HR and we're seeing this A LOT lately. One thing nobody mentioned yet - you should also notify your employer's HR department. We've been getting verification requests from NY unemployment for employees who never filed, and we're able to respond saying they're still employed. This helps create a paper trail showing you didn't file the claim.
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Amaya Watson
•Great idea! I'll talk to our HR person tomorrow. Did any of your employees have issues with their W-2s or taxes because of this?
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Nathaniel Mikhaylov
•Yes, they usually get a 1099-G from unemployment that needs to be corrected. Start documenting everything now - it'll help at tax time!
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Eva St. Cyr
After dealin with NY unemployment for months with no luck I finally broke down and used Claimyr (claimyr.com). They got me on the phone with a real person in less than 2 hours when I had been trying for WEEKS. The agent I talked to flagged my account for identity theft and stopped the payments immediately. Talking to an actual human was the only thing that worked after all the emails and web forms got me nowhere.
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Kristian Bishop
•another day, another company promising to fix the unfixable unemployment system lol
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Eva St. Cyr
•Not fixing the system, just getting you past the hold times. The unemployment system still sucks, but at least you can talk to someone who can help. I was skeptical too until I tried it.
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Kaitlyn Otto
•So I was about to throw my phone after 3 hours on hold when my cousin told me about this. Worked for me too. The relief of hearing an actual human voice after weeks of robot messages was worth every penny.
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Axel Far
NY unemployment has a specific form for reporting identity theft on their website. Go to dol.ny.gov/report-fraud and fill it out ASAP. Also call your bank and tell them to flag those deposits as fraudulent - they may have a process to return the funds. The longer you wait the more complicated this gets.
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Jasmine Hernandez
Uhhh this happened to me and it turned out someone got my info from the 2017 Equifax data breach. Might wanna check if ur info was part of any data breaches. I used haveibeenpwned.com to check. Also GET AN IDENTITY PROTECTION SERVICE IMMEDIATELY!! I use LifeLock now. Worth every penny after the headache I went thru.
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Luis Johnson
•LifeLock is overpriced. Just freeze ur credit for free and use Credit Karma to monitor things.
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Jasmine Hernandez
•Credit Karma doesn't alert you to unemployment fraud tho. After going thru this nightmare I want the extra protection. But yeah freezing credit is def step 1.
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Ellie Kim
The NY unemployment system is such a disaster rn. I've heard from multiple people that when you report fraud, they don't even respond for 6-8 weeks. One thing that worked for my brother was finding his local unemployment office and going IN PERSON. Apparently they have fraud specialists there who can flag your account right away.
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Fiona Sand
•This is true but you have to get there EARLY. Like line up at 6am even though they open at 8:30 because they only take so many walk-ins per day.
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Mohammad Khaled
•Some offices require appointments now. Check online before going.
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Alina Rosenthal
WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T CERTIFY THOSE BENEFITS!! If you certify, it looks like you're claiming the money is legitimately yours. Document everything, take screenshots of the deposits, save any letters, and keep trying to reach unemployment. The system is broken but eventually you'll get through to someone who can help.
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Amaya Watson
•Definitely not going to certify anything! I actually got another letter today saying I need to complete some questionnaire about my work search efforts 🤦♂️
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Alina Rosenthal
•Save that letter too! All of these will help prove you're not the one filing these claims.
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Finnegan Gunn
Yo I literally couldn't get through to unemployment for MONTHS about my identity theft issue. Then I tried claimyr.com and got connected to a real person in like 2 hours. They got my case resolved that same day. The agent I talked to said they're dealing with thousands of fraud cases right now so you gotta be persistent.
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Miguel Harvey
•yeah right, another 'miracle solution'... what's the catch? 🙄
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Finnegan Gunn
•No catch - they just call for you and wait on hold so you don't have to. When an agent picks up, they forward the call to your phone. Saved me like 6 hours of hold music lol
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Ashley Simian
•So I called unemployment 37 TIMES last month with no luck. Used Claimyr yesterday and talked to someone in under an hour. Sometimes you gotta try something different when the system is this broken.
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Oliver Cheng
CHECK YOUR MAIL CAREFULLY! When someone stole my identity for unemployment, I almost threw away a letter that looked like junk mail but was actually a tax form for benefits I never received. Also be prepared for this to potentially affect your taxes - you might get a 1099-G form for unemployment income that isn't yours. You'll need to contact NYS tax department to get that corrected too.
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