Received random Wisely card in mail - is this ny unemployment or a scam?

Yes! I got one too about 3 weeks ago. I was super confused at first and almost threw it away thinking it was junk mail. After calling the number on the back, I found out it WAS actually my unemployment payment. For some reason NY unemployment switched my payment method without telling me. Had to activate it and transfer the $$ to my bank account. Check if there's money on it!

After spending WEEKS trying to get anyone on the phone about my screwed up payments, I found this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) and it got me connected to an actual human at unemployment in less than an hour. Best money I've ever spent to get my benefits fixed fast! They had a live agent call MY phone instead of me waiting on hold forever. Showed them a video about it too: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

Those Wisely cards are actually issued by NY unemployment. They randomly started switching some people from direct deposit. I had same thing happen in October. There should be a number on the card/materials to call and check your balance. If there's money on it, then it's your benefits.

I got one too and thought it was a scam!!!! But it had actual money from unemployment on it! Apparently NY now uses these cards if theres any kinda 'issue' with your direct deposit (which in my case was literally nothing wrong 🙄). Call the number on back to check your balance first before you do anything else.

BEWARE OF WISELY CARD SCAMS!!!! There are fake versions of these cards being sent out. Real NY unemployment cards would come with official NYSDOL documentation and explanation. If it doesn't clearly say it's from NY unemployment, it's probably a scam. DON'T ACTIVATE IT without calling unemployment directly first.

OH. MY. GOD. This entire system is so broken. Why would they randomly send cards without telling people?? I've had so many issues with NY unemployment changing things without notification. First they stopped letting me certify online for no reason. Then they held my payments for 'review' for 6 weeks. Now they're sending random cards?? I'm so done with this.

Here's what's actually happening with these Wisely cards (I used to work in banking): NY unemployment has been switching some payments from direct deposit to these prepaid debit cards when: 1. There's any kind of issue with your bank account info (even minor) 2. Your claim has been flagged for additional verification 3. You're receiving a retroactive/backpay payment 4. They're trying to clear payment backlogs The cards ARE legitimate but the communication about them has been terrible. You can verify by calling the number on the back and checking if there's a balance. Don't give out your SSN to verify - you should only need the card details and a PIN you create. To avoid fees, either transfer the money to your bank account through their portal or withdraw at an in-network ATM (usually MoneyPass ATMs). Don't keep using the card for purchases as there can be transaction fees. If you're still concerned, try reaching unemployment directly. I've heard claimyr.com can get you connected to a real person faster than trying to call yourself. Hope this helps!

Just got off the phone with unemployment (miracle of miracles lol). They confirmed they ARE sending these cards out to some people. If you already verified your identity thru ID.me and have been receiving benefits, it's probably legit. If you've never applied for unemployment or havent verified your identity, it could be fraud.

I didn't get a wisely card but my coworker did and she said it had her backpay on it that she'd been waiting on for months. Weird that they don't tell u its coming tho!

classic ny unemployment move...switching payment methods without telling anyone 🤡 they did this to me in December. checked and had $3400 on the card! almost threw it away thinking it was junk mail smh

This happened to me! Called the number on back, activated it, and found out I had $2640 of unemployment benefits on it! The letter should have the money network/wisely logo. Just be careful about fees - they charge for some ATM withdrawals.

yo dont throw it away!!!! i almost did the same thing. ny unemployment is randomly sending these out instead of direct deposit. its so stupid that they dont warn people but its probably ur money

The switch to these cards is because of the massive fraud issues NY unemployment has been having. My brother-in-law works for the state and said they're trying to cut down on direct deposit scams. But yeah, they should REALLY tell people before sending these out.

I work at a bank and we've seen a ton of these lately. They're legit prepaid cards that NY unemployment is using for some payments now. You can bring it to your bank and they can help you transfer the funds to your account if you don't want to deal with the card.

ANYONE ELSE NOTICE how they send these cards but make it nearly IMPOSSIBLE to talk to anyone about them!?!?! It's like they WANT people to be confused!!! I've been calling for over a week with no answer. The whole system is designed to make you give up. 😤

It's probly legit but be aware there are FEES with these cards! They charge you after a certain number of withdrawals and there's a fee to transfer to your bank account if you do it wrong. Read all the fine print before you use it.

had same issue with wisely card, nobody could tell me if it was real, ended up being my backpay. the REAL scam is how they dont explain ANYTHING about the process 😂

I just went through this exact same thing last month! Got a random Wisely card that looked super sketchy and almost tossed it. Turns out it had over $1,800 of my unemployment benefits on it. NY unemployment has been quietly switching people to these cards without any warning - it's so frustrating! To check if yours is legit: call the number on the back of the card and you can check the balance without giving out personal info like your SSN. You'll just need the card number and security code. If there's money on it, it's real. Pro tip: once you confirm it's legit, you can set up a one-time transfer to your bank account through the Wisely website to avoid fees. Don't use it for purchases because they charge transaction fees. The whole system is poorly designed but unfortunately this is how they're doing things now. Hope this helps!

Same exact thing happened to me last week! Got this random Wisely card in my mailbox and immediately thought it was some kind of scam. The envelope looked so generic and there was barely any official documentation with it. I was about to shred it but decided to google "Wisely card unemployment" first and found out other people were getting them too. Called the number on the back and turns out it had $2,300 of my unemployment benefits on it - backpay that I'd been waiting for since November! The whole thing is so poorly communicated by NY unemployment it's ridiculous. They literally just switch your payment method without telling you anything. If you've been collecting benefits and this card randomly showed up, it's probably legit. Just call the number on the back to check the balance - you don't need to give them your SSN or anything sensitive, just the card details. If there's money on it, transfer it to your bank account ASAP to avoid the fees these cards have. The whole system is a mess but unfortunately this seems to be their new normal.

Just wanted to add my experience since I went through this exact same panic last month! Got a Wisely card that looked totally sketchy - plain envelope, minimal branding, no clear indication it was from NYSDOL. I was convinced it was a scam until I called the number on the back. Turns out it had $1,940 in unemployment benefits that I'd been waiting for. The rep explained that NY switched some people to these cards when there are "payment processing issues" - which in my case meant absolutely nothing was wrong with my direct deposit info, they just randomly decided to send a card instead. The activation process is straightforward - you just need the card number, expiration date, and security code on the back. You create your own PIN during activation. Once activated, I immediately transferred everything to my bank account through their website to avoid any fees. What's really frustrating is they give you ZERO heads up about this change. I almost threw away nearly $2,000 because I thought it was junk mail. If you've been collecting benefits and got one of these random cards, definitely call to check the balance before tossing it!

I literally just went through this EXACT same situation two weeks ago! Got this random Wisely card in my mailbox that looked super sketchy - plain white envelope, barely any branding, and I was 100% convinced it was a scam. Almost threw it straight in the trash but decided to google it first, which is how I found out other people were getting them too. Called the number on the back (you just need the card number and security code, no SSN required) and discovered it had $2,847 of my unemployment benefits on it! Turns out NY unemployment has been randomly switching people from direct deposit to these cards without any warning whatsoever. The customer service rep told me it happens when there are "system updates" or "payment processing changes" - which basically means they can switch you for no apparent reason. The good news is if you've been collecting benefits regularly and this card showed up, it's almost certainly legit. The bad news is the communication around this is absolutely terrible. I transferred all the money to my bank account immediately through their website to avoid the various fees these cards have. Definitely call to check the balance before you do anything else - you'll know within minutes if it's real or not. And if it is real, get that money transferred out ASAP! Hope this helps ease some of the stress about it!

I had this EXACT same panic attack when I got mine three weeks ago! The envelope looked so sketchy and there was barely any official branding - I was convinced someone was trying to scam me with my unemployment info. Turns out it was totally legit and had $1,650 of my benefits on it that I'd been wondering about. NY unemployment apparently just randomly switches people to these cards now without any warning, which is honestly insane from a customer service perspective. To check if yours is real: call the number on the back and you can verify the balance using just the card number and security code (no need to give out SSN or other sensitive info). If there's money on it, it's definitely your unemployment benefits. Once you confirm it's legit, log into the Wisely website and set up a transfer to your bank account to avoid all the fees they charge for ATM withdrawals and purchases. The whole system is poorly designed but unfortunately this seems to be their new normal. Don't throw it away without checking first - so many people almost lost thousands because NY unemployment can't be bothered to send a simple heads up that they're changing your payment method! 🤦‍♀️

Just went through this EXACT same thing a few weeks ago and can confirm - it's probably legit! I got a super sketchy looking Wisely card in a plain envelope with barely any official branding and was 100% convinced it was a scam. Almost threw it away but decided to call the number on the back first. Turns out it had over $2,200 of my unemployment benefits on it! The customer service rep explained that NY unemployment has been randomly switching people from direct deposit to these prepaid cards when there are "processing updates" or payment backlogs. They don't give you any warning which is absolutely insane. To check if yours is real: just call the number on the back of the card and you can verify the balance using only the card number and security code - no need to provide your SSN or other personal info. If there's money on it, it's definitely your unemployment payments. Once you confirm it's legit, I'd recommend immediately transferring the funds to your bank account through the Wisely website to avoid all the fees they charge for ATM withdrawals and purchases. The whole communication around this has been terrible but unfortunately this seems to be how they're handling certain payments now. Don't throw it away without checking first - you could be tossing thousands of dollars! Hope this helps ease your mind about it.