NY unemployment ID.me verification nightmare - stuck with 'duplicate account' error for weeks

The exact same thing happened to me!!! I spent nearly 3 weeks trying to get past that stupid ID.me error. The whole system is completely broken. I kept getting bounced between unemployment and ID.me with neither taking responsibility. So frustrating.

After weeks of fighting with the ny unemployment system and getting nowhere with ID.me issues, I found this service called Claimyr that got me connected to an actual human being at unemployment! I was able to explain my situation to a real person who manually verified my identity in their system. Best money I ever spent to finally get my benefits flowing again. Check out their explanation video here: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

I had a similar issue with ID.me last year. What worked for me was doing a video verification with them instead. If you go to their help section there's an option for video chat verification where you show your documents to a live agent. It takes longer but they can manually verify you.

Look, this is what drives me CRAZY about ny unemployment. The system keeps breaking in new and exciting ways and we're all just stuck trying to navigate it ourselves. ID.me is a disaster. I had trouble with it too but mine was different - kept failing facial recognition. Had to call like 20 times.

Honestly, everything about the unemployment system is designed to make you give up. The ID.me verification is just another hoop to jump through. Keep at it and document EVERYTHING - dates, times, who you spoke with. It's the only way to prove you've been trying when they inevitably blame you for the delay.

I work in tech and the ID.me system is notoriously bad. Here's what I recommend: 1) Clear your browser cache completely before attempting again 2) Try using a different device entirely (phone instead of computer or vice versa) 3) Call ID.me directly at 866-775-4363 instead of emailing 4) File a complaint with the NY Department of Labor about the verification issues 5) Reach out to your local state representative - they often have direct contacts If you're still getting nowhere, I've seen people have success with claimyr.com to get through to unemployment directly. The hold times right now are insane but talking to a live agent is the fastest way to get this fixed.

Have you reached out to your state senator's office? I had a similar issue and was stuck for 6 weeks. Called my state senator, and their constituent services person had it fixed in 3 days. They have special contacts at unemployment.

TBH i've given up on the whole system. took a cash job under the table. the unemployment office can kiss my @$$

One trick that worked for me with ID.me issues was to report it as potential identity theft to them. Go to their help center and specifically say you think someone might have used your info fraudulently. They escalate those cases much faster because of liability issues.

Anyone else notice how much WORSE the ny unemployment system has gotten lately? Like they made all these "improvements" during covid and now it's more broken than ever 🤦‍♂️

Try calling right when they open at 8am. I got through after only 20 minute wait that way. Later in the day it's impossible.

For the ID.me issue specifically - try using the ID.me help chat feature on their site. It's hidden but if you go to the help center and click around enough, you'll find a live chat option. I got someone to manually help me with my account that way after weeks of email silence.

I know this sounds weird, but have you tried making a Twitter post and tagging both ID.me and NY DOL? Sometimes the public shaming approach gets faster results than going through proper channels. Companies hate bad PR.

I feel for you... I went 11 weeks with no unemployment because of ID verification issues. Almost lost my apartment. The system is designed to fail us.