Someone stole my ny unemployment identity and now I can't get my tax forms

Ugh this exact thing happened to my brother. Someone used his info to collect benefits for like 4 months before he found out. He had to submit a fraud claim with unemployment, file a police report, and contact all three credit bureaus to put a freeze on his credit. It took almost 3 months to get it all sorted out, and he ended up having to file for a tax extension because the corrected forms weren't ready in time. The worst part is nobody at ny unemployment seemed to care 🤬

After 2 weeks of calling non-stop and never reaching anyone, I tried this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to a live agent at unemployment within 30 minutes. Worth every penny since talking to an actual human was the only way to get my issue fixed! The agent immediately escalated my case to the fraud department and I had everything resolved by the end of the week. Just sharing because I was at my wits end before finding this. Check out their explainer here: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

File form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit) with the IRS immediately! This puts a flag on your account so they know something sketchy happened. Also request a PIN for future tax filings. I went thru this last year and waiting too long made everything worse.

This happened to SO many people during the pandemic and NY unemployment still hasnt fixed there systems 🤦‍♀️ I work at an accounting firm and we had dozens of clients with this exact problem. Make sure you're documenting EVERYTHING - dates you called, who you talked to, confirmation #s, etc. When you finally get it resolved, you'll need an official letter from NYSDOL stating the benefits were fraudulent and not paid to you.

The unemployment website has a specific identity theft reporting form now. Go to ny.gov/unemployment and look for 'Report Fraud' at the bottom of the page. I filled that out AND called, which seemed to make things move faster. Still took 5 weeks tho 😩

I've been dealing with unemployment fraud issues for MONTHS now, and I've learned a lot about how to navigate this nightmare. Here's what actually works: First, don't just rely on the phone system - it's completely overwhelmed. Submit the fraud report online AND send a certified letter to the DOL fraud department. Include copies (not originals) of your ID, the police report, and a detailed timeline of events. Second, put a freeze on your credit with all three bureaus immediately. Whoever has your SSN might try to open other accounts. Third, if you need to get through on the phone, try calling at exactly 7:58am - right before they open. That's when I finally got through. Or use claimyr.com which is what finally worked for me after weeks of failed attempts. Fourth, file IRS form 14039 and request a PIN for future tax filings. Fifth, contact your state assembly person or senator. They have dedicated staff for constituent services who can escalate your case. Lastly, document EVERYTHING. Every call, email, letter - note the date, time, who you spoke with, and what was said. This will be crucial if you need to prove you've been trying to resolve this. Don't give up! It's a frustrating process but persistence eventually pays off.

I'm so sorry this happened to u. identity theft is the worst! Have you checked your credit report? If they have your SSN they might be doing other stuff with your identity too 😰

the ny unemployment system is TRASH. sorry but its true. ive never seen a more broken government service in my life and i used to live in florida 💀

Contact the IRS Identity Theft Victim Assistance department directly at 800-908-4490. They deal with this all the time and can help you navigate the process. Also, the FTC has a site called identitytheft.gov that gives you a personalized recovery plan based on your situation.

Anyone else notice how COMMON this is getting?? Like every other post on this sub is about identity theft now. The dol needs to get there act together and implement better security measures. How hard is it to add 2-factor authentication in 2023??

Literally just saw a news story about this last night. There's been a huge spike in unemployment identity theft cases in NY. I think there was some kind of data breach but of course the govt isn't being transparent about it.

I'm in the EXACT same situation right now. Have you filed a complaint with the Attorney General's office? That's what I'm doing next since unemployment has been zero help.

did u try checking your account online to see if theres any info about the fraudulent claim? sometimes you can see what address or bank account they used.

when this happened to my wife, we ended up getting an accountant who specializes in identity theft cases. cost us $400 but honestly worth every penny because he knew exactly what forms to file and who to contact. sometimes you need a professional when dealing with government bureaucracy.

Keep trying claimyr.com! They helped me reach an agent after weeks of trying on my own. The unemployment phone system is literally designed to make you give up, I'm convinced. Once I finally got through to a human, they escalated my case and I had a resolution within days.