Someone filed for NY unemployment in my name - now I'm fighting to clear identity theft

This happened to my cousin back in 2021. Totaly nightmare. She had to send in copies of her ID, birth certificate, social security card, and utility bills just to prove she wasn't the one filing. Took her like 7 months to fully resolve it. Def file an identity theft report with the FTC at identitytheft.gov and notify the credit bureaus. They should give you a case number you can use with ny unemployment to track it.

After trying to reach ny unemployment for weeks with no luck, I finally found a service that actually worked to get someone on the phone. Used claimyr.com and within 45 minutes I had an actual human helping me with my fraud case. Talking to an agent got my case prioritized and they helped me fill out all the right paperwork. Best decision I made after wasting days on hold. Check out their explanation video: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

Been there! Someone stole $11k in benefits using my info last year. You NEED to: 1. Get an Identity Protection PIN from the IRS immediately so no one can file taxes as you 2. Contact Social Security Administration to make sure your work record is correct 3. File a report with your local district attorney's office - some have special unemployment fraud units 4. KEEP CALLING unemployment - document every call with date/time 5. Call your state rep/senator's office - they have staff who can escalate these cases Just using the online portal won't cut it. This is unfortunately incredibly common since the pandemic. The unemployment systems are still overwhelmed with fraud cases. I eventually got mine resolved by connecting with a live agent through claimyr.com who flagged my case for the fraud department and stopped any further payments being issued in my name. Don't give up - this can be fixed but you have to be super persistent!

lol welcome to the club. NY unemployment security is a joke. My wife, my brother, AND my neighbor all had this happen. The department is so understaffed they take forever to fix it.Your talking months not weeks to resolve.

Contact your STATE REPRESENTATIVE!!! This is the only thing that worked for me with the exact same issue. I spent 3 months trying to fix it through normal channels and nothing happened. Called my assembly member, their office had a direct contact at unemployment, and my case was resolved in 10 days. Do this yesterday!

The unemployment system is totally broken. I had a similar issue and it took EIGHT MONTHS to resolve. Keep calling, document everything, and be prepared for a long battle. So sorry youre dealing with this.

Serious question - has anyone actually gotten through to a human at ny unemployment lately? I've been trying for days and just get disconnected.

make sure you put a fraud alert on your credit reports with all three bureaus! and check your credit report for any other weird activity. fraudsters who do unemployment scams often hit other things too.

bro the exact same thing happened to me. someone filed for $13,470 in benefits using my info. took me 5 months of constant calling to get it fixed. keep ALL documentation, get a case ID number, and whatever you do, don't stop following up.

Have you checked your mail carefully? NY unemployment should have been sending notices to your address all along if someone was claiming in your name. Sometimes they look like junk mail though.

NY unemployment identity theft is epidemic right now. I work at a legal aid office and we're seeing dozens of these cases every week. The system is completely overwhelmed. Your best bet is getting help from either your state rep as others suggested OR through the Attorney General's office - they have a special task force for unemployment fraud now.

literally in the same boat rn. someone claimed $9,500 in my name last year. the worst part is I actually DID need unemployment for a few months this year and got denied because of the fraud case on my account 😡

has anyone here actually had success getting the IRS to remove fraudulent unemployment from their tax transcript? thats where im stuck now

dont forget to notify your employer too! sometimes these scammers will also try to file benefits against your current job

When this happened to me, I was getting absolutely nowhere with phone calls and online forms. I finally broke down and hired an identity theft attorney who knew exactly who to contact and what to say. Within 3 weeks my case was resolved. Not cheap but worth every penny after months of frustration.

Check if there's a Way2Go debit card associated with the fraudulent claim. Sometimes the scammers have these cards mailed to different addresses. That info can help track them down.

your bank may have resources to help too! I work at a credit union and we have a whole department that helps members with identity theft. they can't fix the unemployment issue directly but can help protect your other accounts and credit.

How did you even find out? Now I'm paranoid someone could be collecting in my name and I wouldn't even know...