Someone filed NY unemployment using my identity and now I'm in trouble with my employer

this happened to my cousin last year! its a total nightmare. you need to keep calling every single day until you get through. I know its annoying but the fraud dept wont do anything unless you talk to a live person. also file a report with the FTC at identitytheft.gov and freeze your credit at all 3 bureaus ASAP. this scam is everwhere since covid started.

After I found myself in a similar mess, I finally got through to someone at NY unemployment by using this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com). They call and wait on hold, then connect you when a real person picks up. Got everything resolved in one call after weeks of trying on my own. Talking to an agent got my record cleared so fast and saved my job situation. They have this video explaining how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

I work in HR and we've seen a HUGE increase in this exact fraud. Document EVERYTHING. Make sure you get a copy of the police report. Email your HR department with all the documentation so it's on record that you reported it. Also contact the 3 credit bureaus to put a fraud alert on your credit. Someone likely has more of your personal info than just your SSN.

I went thru this EXACT thing in February!! Someone claimed over $12k in benefits using my info. Here's what worked for me: 1. File police report (which you did, good) 2. Contact NY unemployment fraud dept EVERY DAY until you get someone (this took me 2 weeks of calling) 3. Send a certified letter to your employer outlining everything with copies of police report 4. Freeze ALL your credit reports 5. Contact IRS to prevent tax fraud 6. Change ALL your passwords 7. Consider an identity protection service It took about 6 weeks but eventually got resolved. My employer was suspicious at first too but came around when the investigation confirmed I was a victim. The most helpful thing was when I finally reached someone at claimyr.com who connected me to a senior fraud investigator at unemployment. That's when things finally started moving. Hang in there - it's fixable but takes time!!

Ugh the ny unemployment system is a complete disaster. i've called 47 times this month with no answer. maybe i should try that claimyr thing someone mentioned above...

Don't panic! This happened to me last summer. First thing - your employer CANNOT fire you for being a victim of identity theft. That would be illegal. Second, document everything. Third, consider getting a lawyer if things don't resolve quickly. In my case, I sent a formal legal letter to both unemployment and my employer stating I was a victim of fraud and things moved much faster after that.

the nysdol fraud department is a joke. they NEVER answer. I spent 3 months trying to reach them when some1 stole my identity. best bet is to go through the identity theft route with FTC and credit bureaus first, then hit unemployment from that angle.

THIS IS SO COMMON RIGHT NOW. the unemployment systems are being targeted by organized crime rings. i work in cybersecurity and we're seeing claims filed using stolen identities from data breaches. most victims don't know until tax time or when their employer gets notified. make sure you also check if your other accounts have been compromised.

I was in ur EXACT situation back in October! My employer tried to contest MY unemployment (that I never filed) and almost fired me. What finally worked was getting through to a senior agent who put a fraud alert on my account. Try calling at exactly 8:00am when the phones open.

Anyone in this situation should report it to the FBI too. They have a special Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) for this. This is widespread organized crime, not just random identity theft.

Check ur mail carefully too! Sometimes the scammers will change your address to intercept unemployment related mail, but not all of it gets changed. A friend found a random unemployment tax form that way and discovered the fraud.

after trying for WEEKS to reach ny unemployment about identity theft, i finally got through using claimyr.com - they called and waited on hold for me then connected me once a rep picked up. honestly it was the only thing that worked after countless tries. got everything sorted in one call after being stressed for months. best decision ever.

dont forget to check your bank accounts!!! if they have enough info to file unemployment in ur name, they might have access to other accounts too. change all passwords and check for suspicious activity.

omggg this happened to my sister and they tried to garnish her wages for 'overpayment' of benefits she never received!!! took 4 months to clear up. literal nightmare.

I've worked with dozens of identity theft victims (I'm a financial counselor). The NY unemployment fraud unit is SEVERELY understaffed. Here's the direct number that sometimes works better than the main line: [redacted]. Ask specifically for a "fraud investigator" not just any representative.

my mom went thru this and what FINALLY worked was contacting her state representative's office. they have special liaisons with unemployment who can escalate cases. seriously - email your state assembly person and senator. worth a try.

the same thing happened to me!!! turns out my info was stolen in the Equifax breach years ago. took almost 4 months to resolve but eventually got cleared up. whatever u do DONT pay any "overpayment" bills they might send you!

Pro tip: if your employer is giving you trouble, ask them to document THEIR communications with unemployment too. My company's HR actually helped prove my innocence by showing unemployment all their records of contesting the false claim.