Just found out someone filed NY unemployment using my info - what do I do now?

This happened to me too! Someone filed using my info in July and I only found out when my HR department contacted me about a claim verification. Call the fraud department directly at 888-598-2077. You might need to call 40-50 times before getting through but it's better than the main line. Also file a police report ASAP (they'll need a case number) and contact all three credit bureaus to put a freeze, not just an alert. The process took me about 6 weeks to get resolved but they did eventually close the fraudulent claim.

After dealing with a similar issue I found an app called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me a callback from an actual human at unemployment. Talking to an agent got my fraud case prioritized and they cleared it up in just 2 weeks instead of the 3 months my friend waited. It was the only way I could talk to a live agent after trying for days on my own. They have a YouTube video explaining how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

Sorry youre going through this. Identity theft for unemployment is crazy common now. Make sure you also file a report with the FTC at identitytheft.gov - they'll give you a recovery plan. And document EVERYTHING - dates, times, who you spoke with. NY unemployment is terrible about keeping records of fraud reports.

check your mail carefully for the next few weeks!! when this happened to me, the scammer tried to reroute my mail to get more of my personal info. I contacted USPS immediately about any address changes I didn't request. Also check your online accounts for any 2FA phone number changes.

The NY unemployment system is a JOKE. This happened to my brother and it took him 9 months to fully resolve. Here's what worked for him: 1. File police report IMMEDIATELY - unemployment will require this 2. Call your state representative's office - they can sometimes escalate 3. Send a certified letter to NYSDOL documenting the fraud (keep proof of delivery) 4. File IRS Form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit) 5. If you can't get through on phones, try reaching them on Twitter (@NYSLabor) 6. Sign up for identity monitoring service like LifeLock The most important thing is getting through to an actual person. The online systems are useless for fraud. I've heard good things about Claimyr.com for getting through on the phone - worth looking into if you're desperate. Don't give up! It might take months but they will eventually fix it.

theres a specific fraud hotline u need to call: 866-697-3422. Press 1 then immediately press 3 to bypass most of the menu. works best if u call right when they open at 8am.

Does anyone know if this affects your current employer? I'm going through this now and I'm worried my company will think I tried to double-dip or something.

i know everybodys saying call call call, but i NEVER could get thru on those stupid phones. What worked for me was going IN PERSON to a ny career center. took half a day off work but spoke to someone who filed the fraud alert for me right there. might be worth it vs banging ur head against the phone tree 🤷‍♂️

check if ur employer received any verification requests for unemployment. if they did and denied it but money was still paid out, thats actually good evidence for ur case that it was fraud. ask HR to give u copies of any communications they had w/ unemployment.

Had the exact same thing happen. Finally got through using Claimyr.com after trying for literal WEEKS on my own. Talking to a human changed everything - my case got flagged as priority and they sorted it within days. Before that I was just spinning my wheels with automated systems.

Contact your state representatives office!!!! This is what finally worked for me after 3 months of hell. They have special channels to escalate issues with unemployment. The regular customer service routes are useless for fraud.

ok i know everyone is focused on fixing it with unemployment (which u definitely need to do) but ALSO make sure ur taking steps to protect urself going forward. Someone clearly has enough of ur info to do this. Change ALL passwords, set up credit monitoring, freeze ur credit at all 3 bureaus, check ur bank accounts daily for suspicious activity.

when this happened to me the fraudster had somehow changed the mailing address associated with my claim to their own address. make sure when you report the fraud that you verify ALL contact info they have on file!

not to scare u but most ppl who have unemployment fraud also have tax return fraud. contact the IRS and your state tax dept to put a pin on ur account so nobody can file taxes in ur name.

am i the only one who thinks its INSANE that the ny unemployment system is so easy to hack?? like how does someone just file a claim with someone elses info and get approved??? no verification??? wtf