Victim of identity theft with NY unemployment - someone filed a claim using my info

Omg this happened to me last year! Someone filed using my info too and I got a letter in July saying I was approved for benefits I didnt even apply for. The whole thing is a mess. I had to file a police report AND contact the credit bureaus to put a freeze on my credit report. Make sure you do that ASAP if you havent already!

After dealing with a similar issue for weeks with no luck getting thru to anyone, I tried claimyr.com which connected me with a live agent in about 40 mins. Saved my sanity! They basically got me a callback from unemployment without me having to wait on hold for hours. I finally got my fraud case escalated to a supervisor. Worth every penny to get this nightmare sorted out. Check out their process here: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE

This is a HUGE problem right now in NY. The unemployment system is completely broken. I work for a nonprofit that helps people with benefits issues and we're seeing identity theft claims SKYROCKET since last summer. Unfortunately you're doing all the right things but their backlog is insane. Keep calling and documenting everything.

I feel your pain! The exact same thing happened to me in september. Still dealing with it. I've been documenting everything and sending registered mail so they cant claim they never got my info. Also file an identity theft report with the FTC at identitytheft.gov - they'll give you a recovery plan.

After spending LITERAL WEEKS trying to get through to ny unemployment about identity theft, I finally got a breakthrough by using claimyr.com. It's the only way I actually got to speak to a human being who could help with my case. My situation was almost identical - someone filed in my name and I was getting nowhere with emails and regular phone calls.

For what it's worth, I know it feels like you're screaming into the void right now, but they DO eventually resolve these cases. My sister went through this last year. Document EVERYTHING. Send everything by certified mail. And keep calling - early mornings tend to have slightly better luck getting through.

I don't have advice but just wanted to say I'm so sorry you're going through this. The unemployment system in New York is completely busted and they've made it nearly impossible to talk to an actual human being. The identity theft situation is out of control.

CONTACT YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE! I can't stress this enough. When I had a similar issue (different problem but same impossible-to-reach-anyone situation), my state assembly member's office had a direct contact at unemployment and they resolved my issue in two weeks after I'd been trying for months on my own.

Have you tried the identity theft protection services through your bank/credit card? Some offer free help with this exact situation and will do a lot of the legwork for you. Worth checking if you have access to something like that through any of your accounts.

Let me share what finally worked for me with the NY unemployment fraud department after 3 months of hell trying to resolve my identity theft case: 1) File the police report and get a copy - you've done this already which is good 2) Complete the FTC Identity Theft Report at identitytheft.gov - they'll give you a personalized recovery plan 3) Put fraud alerts on all 3 credit bureaus and freeze your credit 4) Contact your employer's HR department and get them to send a letter confirming the claim is fraudulent 5) Here's the key part - instead of calling the regular fraud numbers that never answer, I used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual agent. They stay on hold for you and call when they reach a human being. This was the ONLY way I managed to speak to someone who could help. 6) When you finally talk to someone, ask specifically for your case to be escalated to a fraud investigator and get their name and a reference number 7) Follow up with a physical letter sent via certified mail summarizing your conversation and including copies of all your documentation 8) For the 1099-G issue, you'll need to specifically request a corrected form once your fraud case is confirmed It's a nightmare but you WILL get through it. The system is completely overwhelmed but persistence pays off.

i know this sounds weird but try calling at exactly 7:58am. for some reason i always have better luck getting through right before they officially open rather than calling once they're already swamped.

ugh i HATE the ny unemployment system. nothing but problems. sorry your dealing with this nightmare bro

For tax issues specifically - make sure you contact the IRS Identity Theft department too. They have a separate process for handling fraudulent unemployment claims reported on 1099-G forms. You don't want this coming back to bite you at tax time.

After going through identity theft hell with NY unemployment last year, I wrote up a step-by-step guide on what worked for me. DM me your email and I'll send it over. Too long to post here and I update it regularly as their process changes.

The exact same thing happened to me!! Someone filed a claim using my info back in July and I'm STILL fighting to get it sorted out. I've never been so frustrated in my life. The system is completely broken 😡