NY unemployment depositing to Wisely pay card - legit or scam?

Yes! I actually got one last month. It's legit - NY unemployment is using Wisely cards as an alternative payment method. I was confused too because I had set up direct deposit, but apparently there was some issue with my banking info. I called NYSDOL and they confirmed it was from them. I've been getting my payments on the card for a few weeks now with no problems.

i got one too like 2 weeks ago. activated it no problem. money was on there the next day. works at atms and stores just like a debit card

BE CAREFUL!! I got something similar but it was DEFINITELY a scam trying to get my personal info. The real Wisely cards from NY DOL have specific markings and come with official paperwork. Does yours have the NY state logo anywhere on the materials?

This is a legitimate payment method used by NYSDOL. Wisely Pay cards (managed by ADP) are one of the official ways unemployment benefits are distributed in New York. There are three possible reasons you received this card: 1. There was an issue with your direct deposit information 2. NYSDOL is transitioning some claimants to this payment method 3. Your bank rejected a recent direct deposit attempt To confirm it's legitimate, check if the card came with documentation mentioning NYSDOL and has the standard Visa/Mastercard security features. You can also call NYSDOL directly to verify, though getting through can be challenging.

I've been trying to reach someone at NYSDOL about this exact same issue for days but couldn't get through. Then I tried using Claimyr (claimyr.com) which got me connected to an agent in about 20 minutes. They confirmed my Wisely card was legitimate and explained there was a glitch in their system that caused some direct deposits to fail, so they automatically sent cards as backup. The agent helped me fix my direct deposit for future payments. If you want to see how it works, there's a demo video: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE - saved me hours of frustration!

The Wisely card thing happened to me too! My direct deposit was working fine, then suddenly I got this card in the mail. When I finally talked to someone at DOL, they said there was some "banking transmission problem" affecting a bunch of accounts in early March. My account got flagged and they automatically sent me the card. They fixed my direct deposit for future payments but said I should activate the card to get the payment that was already sent there. Card works fine but their app is kinda glitchy tbh.

How do you know if the card is actually from unemployment though? What does the envelope look like? I'm always worried about identity theft with these things. Did anyone have to provide their SSN to activate the card?

does anyone know if theres fees to use this card? i hate having to pay $3 just to get my own money at an atm

My sister got one of these last year when the exact same thing happened with her direct deposit. It's probably legit BUT you should DEFINITELY call unemployment to make sure!!! The problem is their phone lines are IMPOSSIBLE to get through!!!! I spent 3 DAYS trying to reach someone last time I had an issue. The system is BROKEN!!!!

UPDATE: Thanks everyone for your help! I was able to get through to a NYSDOL agent using the Claimyr service that someone suggested. The agent confirmed my Wisely card is legitimate. Apparently there was a system-wide issue with direct deposits in early March that affected thousands of claimants. The payment I was missing from March 5th was sent to the card instead. They've fixed my direct deposit for future payments, but I need to activate this card to access the funds already sent there. The agent also said they sent emails about this issue, but mine must have gone to spam or something because I never saw it. Problem solved!

This is super helpful! I just got a Wisely card yesterday too and was freaking out thinking it was a scam. Reading through everyone's experiences makes me feel much better about it. Sounds like there was definitely some kind of system glitch that affected a lot of people. I'm going to try calling early in the morning like someone suggested, but if that doesn't work I might check out that Claimyr service too. Thanks for sharing your update - it's reassuring to know this is a legitimate issue that NYSDOL is aware of!

I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now! Got a Wisely card two days ago that I never requested and was really suspicious about it. After reading through everyone's experiences here, it sounds like this is a widespread issue from that March system glitch. I'm still nervous about activating it though - has anyone had any problems with the card once they started using it? Like weird charges or anything sketchy? I know it's supposedly legit but I'm always paranoid about financial stuff like this. Also, for those who got their direct deposit fixed afterward, how long did it take for the next payment to go back to your regular bank account?

I just wanted to chime in as someone who went through this exact same situation about a month ago. I was also really skeptical when the Wisely card showed up out of nowhere, especially since my direct deposit had been working perfectly for weeks. After reading through this thread, it's clear that a lot of us were affected by that March system issue. I ended up calling NYSDOL (took forever to get through) and they confirmed it was legit - apparently my bank rejected a deposit due to some technical glitch on their end. The agent told me this happened to thousands of people around the same time. I activated the card, used it to get my missing payment, and they fixed my direct deposit for future payments. No issues with the card itself - it worked just like any other debit card. Just wanted to add another voice confirming this is a real thing that happened to a lot of people!