Identity theft with my ny unemployment account - someone else is collecting MY benefits!

omg this happened to me too!! I found out in June that someone had been collecting my benefits since March. They somehow changed my direct deposit info and were getting my payments for months while I was struggling to buy food. The system is completely broken - I had to call over 30 times before I got through to someone who could help.

After dealing with a similar nightmare, I finally found a way to actually reach a human at unemployment. I used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me connected to an actual agent without me having to spend hours on hold. The agent was able to flag my account for priority fraud investigation and I had my benefits restored within 10 days. Talking to an agent got my $ unlocked so fast - check out this video that explains how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

I feel for you. The same thing happened to me but with my tax refund. You need to also file a report with the FTC at identitytheft.gov - they have a specific process for unemployment identity theft. Also freeze your credit with all three agencies ASAP!

I work at a bank and we're seeing this ALL THE TIME right now. Here's what you need to do: 1) File an identity theft report with FTC at IdentityTheft.gov 2) Call all three credit bureaus and place a fraud alert 3) File a police report - get a case number 4) Contact your state attorney general's office 5) Document EVERYTHING - names, dates, reference numbers 6) If you can't get through on the phone, try going to an in-person unemployment office 7) Check if your employer received any notifications about claims in your name Unfortunately, these cases are taking 2-3 months to resolve on average. The unemployment offices are completely overwhelmed with fraud cases right now. I've seen people have success using claimyr.com to actually get through to an agent instead of waiting on hold forever. The key is getting a human on the phone who can escalate your case internally.

NY unemployment system is a JOKE 🤡 they let scammers steal our money but make us jump thru a million hoops to get what's rightfully ours. then they have the nerve to say they're 'improving security' 🙄

File a complaint with your state representative/senator. I did this after 6 weeks of no response from unemployment and magically got a call from a supervisor 2 days later. They hate the negative attention from elected officials.

i had this exact problem and finally got it resolved but took 11 weeks. the secret is to be super persistant. call EVERYDAY. I finally got thru using claimyr.com - cost money but worth it to actually talk to somone who could help. also contact ur state rep like others said.

Have you checked if your SSN is being used for other types of fraud? This happened to my brother and they also opened credit cards in his name. You need to be scorching the earth on this one - it's rarely limited to just unemployment.

This is exactly why I tell people to set up account notifications for everything. If you had text alerts on, you would have known the moment your direct deposit info changed.

If u cant get through to anyone, contact your local news station. I swear this works. My cousin's unemployment fraud case was dragging on for months until she contacted the 'fighting for you' segment on channel 7. They did a story and her case was resolved in a week.

This is absolutely infuriating and unfortunately becoming way too common. I went through something similar last year - found out someone had been collecting my benefits for 3 months while I was struggling to pay rent. Here's what worked for me: 1. Document EVERYTHING - screenshot your account showing the fraudulent changes, save all emails/communications 2. Contact your state assemblyperson AND senator - not just one. Their offices have direct lines to the unemployment department 3. File complaints with both the NY State Attorney General and the federal DOL fraud hotline 4. If you have a local unemployment office, show up in person with all your documentation - sometimes physical presence gets results when calls don't I also ended up using one of those callback services (claimyr) that others mentioned - was skeptical but it actually got me connected to a real person who could escalate my case. Took about 8 weeks total but I did get all my stolen benefits back plus the ones I was owed. The system is broken but don't give up. Keep pushing from multiple angles - the squeaky wheel gets the grease with these agencies. Hang in there!