Possible identity theft with my NY unemployment claim - someone filed in my name!

omg this happened to my cousin last yr! it took her like 3 months to get it straightened out. You need to file a police report ASAP and get a case number. Then call unemployment fraud dept everyday until u get thru. Document EVERYTHING. also freeze ur credit at all 3 agencies not just 1. these scammers usually hit everything at once.

After dealing with endless busy signals and disconnects with NY unemployment, I finally found a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to a real person. They basically wait on hold for you then call when an agent picks up. Talking to an actual human got my fraud case prioritized and I had my new claim approved within 10 days. Best money I've spent considering how fast my benefits started coming after that. They also have a YouTube video explaining how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

I hate to say this but ur probably looking at 6-8 weeks minimum to fix this. Identity theft cases are backlogged like crazy. Call 877-ID-THEFT to make a report with the FTC too. And def file police report locally even tho they wont actually investigate. U need that report # for everything.

THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED TO ME!!!! Someone in Rochester was collecting on my SSN for like 4 months before I even knew. I found out when I got a 1099-G tax form saying I collected $13k in benefits last year when I was working full time! It took 82 DAYS to resolve and get my identity back. PM me if u want - I have all the contact info and names of people who actually helped.

So heres what u need to do EXACTLY (I work in identity protection): 1) File police report locally AND with Buffalo PD where the payments are going 2) Contact all three credit bureaus and place a FRAUD ALERT not just a freeze 3) Call the FTC at 877-ID-THEFT 4) File IRS form 14039 Identity Theft Affidavit NOW even tho its not tax season 5) Send a notarized affidavit to NY unemployment fraud dept (CERTIFIED MAIL!!) 6) Change ALL passwords everywhere 7) Get a new drivers license with a new number if possible DO NOT wait on this. Identity theft is time sensitive! The NY unemployment office is actually decent about fraud cases if you get all your documentation in order. Also try claimyr.com to actually reach someone by phone - sitting on hold for 6 hours isn't realistic for most people.

I know this sounds crazy but check your mail carefully. Often the scammers will try to intercept the debit card or any verification letters. My neighbor had her unemployment stolen and the person was actually taking mail from her box!

When will the ny unemployment office fix their security??? This is happening to THOUSANDS of people. The state auditor issued a report last month saying the unemployment system lost over $11 billion to fraud since 2020. I'm convinced some of this is an inside job tbh

Im so sorry ur dealing with this BS. The most important thing is to file ur own claim IN PERSON if possible. Bring all ur ID, SS card, birth certificate, everything. Tell them u need emergency processing due to fraud. They might make u fill out a DS-54 form to dispute the fraudulent claim. Make copies of EVERYTHING u submit to them!!

Check if ur employer is getting notices about this fake claim too!!! My company's HR told me someone filed in my name but I had no idea until they mentioned all these certification notices they kept getting. Might help ur case if ur employer can confirm they've been getting paperwork about a claim u never filed.

whatever u do DO NOT try to certify for benefits until the fraud investigation is complete!!! it will mess everything up and they could accuse YOU of fraud. wait for them to clear the fake claim first, then file a new one.

this is gonna sound weird but check ur tax transcripts with the IRS too. I had someone file unemployment fraud AND tax return fraud with my info at the same time. its all connected.

I also had my identity used for a fake claim during covid. After like 50 attempts to call, I used claimyr.com and actually got an agent on the line. They expedited my case when I sent in my ID docs. Still took 5 weeks but WAY better than the 3-6 months other people waited.

I'd check if anyone else in ur household might have filed using ur info... hate to say it but family fraud is super common with unemployment claims. my roommate tried using my ssn cuz her work was under the table and she didnt qualify on her own 😡

u can also reach out to ur state rep's office!! my senator's constituent services helped push my fraud case through when I was getting nowhere for WEEKS. they have special contacts at unemployment.

document EVERYTHING. dates, times, who u talk to, what they say. the unemployment office will try to say they never received ur stuff or that u never called. keep a paper trail of every interaction

One suggestion that really helped me - contact ur bank and put a verbal password on ur account that's NOT tied to security questions someone might know. Also check if any address change requests have been submitted for any of ur accounts.

you can contact NY AG's office too - they have a specific division for unemployment fraud now because it got so bad. https://ag.ny.gov/consumer-frauds/Filing-a-Consumer-Complaint