NY unemployment claim stuck in fraud review for months - only got 1 payment

This exact thing happened to me back in January. The fraud review process is a nightmare! Have you tried going to your local DOL office in person? That's what finally worked for me after 3 months of getting nowhere on the phone. Bring printouts of EVERYTHING - your ID.me confirmations, any correspondence from them, your initial claim information, everything. Ask specifically for a supervisor who can handle fraud review cases.

omg this is happening to SO many people right now!! my cousin had the same thing happen and she had to call literally 60+ times before she got someone who actually helped. its absolutely ridiculous how they treat us!!

I work as an advocate helping people with unemployment issues, and fraud flags are unfortunately very common right now. Here's what you need to do: 1. File a formal appeal through the online portal specifically stating you're appealing the fraud determination. Use the exact phrase "I am appealing the fraud determination on my claim" in your submission. 2. Contact your state representative or senator's office. They have dedicated staff who can intervene with NYSDOL on your behalf. This is often the fastest way to get resolution. 3. Send a secure message through the portal requesting a "Section 597.4 review" which legally requires them to investigate your claim within 14 days. 4. Continue certifying every week even though you're not getting paid. This ensures you'll get all back payments once resolved. The law requires NYSDOL to either clear the fraud flag or provide specific evidence within a reasonable timeframe. Five months is well beyond reasonable.

After dealing with something similar (waited 3 months with a fraud flag), I finally got through to someone who could actually help by using Claimyr. It's a service that basically calls DOL for you and gets you connected to an agent without the hours of waiting and disconnects. I was super skeptical at first but got connected to an actual claims specialist in about 15 minutes. Their website is claimyr.com and they have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE The specialist I spoke with immediately saw that my ID verification hadn't been properly processed in their system (despite me doing it twice like you!) and fixed it on the spot. Got all my back pay within a week.

The same thing happened to me!!!! FIVE months of waiting and getting the runaround. I finally got so mad I started calling twice a day EVERY day and asking for a supervisor each time. After about 2 weeks of this someone finally took pity on me and transfered me to someone who could actually help. Its totally ridiculous that we have to go to these extremes but sometimes being a complete pain is the only way to get results with these people.

I don't know if this will help but I was stuck in a similar situation and I found that using very specific language helped. When they ask why you're calling, say "I need to speak with a Level 3 claims specialist regarding a fraud determination appeal under Section 597.4" - sometimes using their exact terminology gets you transferred faster. Good luck!

The NYSDOL fraud system is completely BROKEN. I went through this exact nightmare for almost 4 months. They flagged my account because I had previously lived in another state, which apparently is an automatic "fraud risk" now. I had to submit the same documents over and over and over. The most infuriating part is that different reps told me completely different things every time I called. One would say my documents were fine, the next would say they needed something else entirely. It's like their left hand doesn't know what the right is doing. I finally got it resolved by filing a complaint with the NY Department of Financial Services AND the state Attorney General's office. Suddenly, miraculously, my claim was processed within 48 hours after 4 months of nothing. Try that route if nothing else works.

Just to follow up on my earlier comment - when I went to the DOL office in person, I made sure to bring a printout of the NY Unemployment Insurance Law that states they must make a determination within a reasonable time. Having the actual law in hand made them take me more seriously. Section 597.4 like someone else mentioned is the key one to reference.

Update: I tried calling again this morning using the specific language about Section 597.4 that was suggested, and it actually got me transferred to someone higher up! They still couldn't fully resolve my case on the spot, but they confirmed my ID verification is showing up in their system and said they're expediting my case review. They gave me a direct callback number and said I should hear something within 5-7 business days. Fingers crossed this actually leads to something! Thank you all for your suggestions.

anybody else think its crazy that in 2025 we still have to jump through all these hoops just to get our benefits?? the whole system needs to be completely redone!!