Warning: Scammers targeting NY unemployment claimants - what to watch for

Thank you for the warning! I've been getting these too. The latest one was a text saying my 'NY unemployment payment was declined' and I needed to 'verify my banking details' at a sketchy link. The Department of Labor will NEVER contact you this way. Here are some red flags to watch for: - Messages asking you to 'verify' your account by clicking a link - Requests for your full SSN (NYSDOL already has this) - Poor grammar or spelling errors in official communications - URLs that aren't exactly ny.gov (like ny-gov.com or nysdol.co) - Anyone asking for payment to 'process' your claim faster If you're unsure about a communication, log in directly to your NY.gov account through the official website (don't click links) or call the official number listed on the NYSDOL website.

OMG YES!! I got a call yesterday from someone claiming to be from "unemployment benefits verification department" asking for my PIN number and birth date to "verify my identity" for continued benefits. I hung up immediately. They even had the caller ID spoofed to look like it was coming from an official Albany number!!

I've been dealing with unemployment scams for the past 3 YEARS!! It's absolutely ridiculous how these scammers target people already struggling. Here's what I've learned: 1. The real DOL sends messages through your secure NY.gov account inbox - CHECK THERE FIRST 2. They will NEVER ask for your full SSN or banking passwords - EVER 3. Official emails come from noreply@labor.ny.gov ONLY 4. If someone offers to "speed up your claim" for money - 100% SCAM 5. NEVER click links in texts claiming to be from unemployment I've reported at least 20 different scam attempts to the state attorney general's office. These criminals need to be LOCKED UP!!

my sister lost $2000 to one of these scams last month!! she got an email saying there was a problem with her claim and needed to verify her identity. she clicked the link and put in her bank info and they emptied her account!! be careful people

I've been trying to get through to an actual person at the NY unemployment office for weeks to verify if an email I received was legitimate. The frustration is real! After nearly 30 calls and endless hold times, I finally used a service called Claimyr that got me connected to a live agent in under 20 minutes. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Rdqa1gKtxuE The agent confirmed my suspicion - the email asking me to "re-verify my employment history" was 100% a scam. Apparently there's been a huge wave of these lately. Just wanted to share since this can help anyone needing to speak with a real NYSDOL representative to check if communications are legitimate.

I work in cybersecurity and these unemployment scams are unfortunately very sophisticated. The scammers are monitoring news about benefit extensions and changes to time their attacks when people are most vulnerable and expecting communications. Here's what NY unemployment will NEVER do: • Call you asking for your full SSN, bank account details, or PIN • Send texts with links to "verify" your account • Email you from domains that aren't ny.gov • Ask you to pay a fee to process your claim • Request gift cards or wire transfers • Ask for your NY.gov password Always go directly to labor.ny.gov and log in to your secure account to check for official communications. If you're ever unsure, contact NYSDOL directly through their official channels.

i just got a weird phone call saying my benefits were on hold and i needed to press 1 to talk to an agent... i hung up but now im worried my benefits actually ARE on hold. how can you tell whats real and whats not???

Update: I just got ANOTHER scam today - this one was an email claiming I needed to "verify my identity through ID.me again" to continue receiving benefits. They even copied the official ID.me logo and formatting! I reported it to both the DOL and ID.me. These scammers are working overtime...

does anyone know if the texts about the extra $300 benefit extension are legit? i got one yesterday saying i qualified but needed to update my payment info

I'm new to this community but wanted to share my experience from last week. I received what looked like an official NYSDOL email with the subject "Action Required: Verify Your Weekly Certification" that appeared to come from noreply@labor.ny.gov. The formatting was perfect and it even included my correct claim number! The email said I needed to "re-verify" my weekly certification by clicking a link within 48 hours or my benefits would be suspended. I was about to click when I noticed the link actually went to "ny-labor-verification.com" instead of the official site. I called the official NYSDOL number and they confirmed this was a scam - they said scammers are now using people's real claim numbers (possibly from data breaches) to make their emails look more legitimate. The representative told me that legitimate weekly certifications are ONLY done through your secure NY.gov account, never through email links. For newcomers like me: always double-check the actual URL before clicking anything, even if the email looks 100% official. These scammers are getting scary good at copying the real thing!

This is such an important thread! I'm also new to unemployment benefits and these scam warnings are incredibly helpful. I've been getting suspicious texts almost daily since I started my claim last month. One thing that's helped me is setting up a separate email just for unemployment communications and never using my personal email. That way if I get any unemployment-related emails in my main inbox, I know they're automatically suspicious. Also, I've bookmarked the official labor.ny.gov site and ONLY access my account through that bookmark - never through search results or links. It takes an extra 30 seconds but gives me peace of mind. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences - it's helping protect newcomers like me from falling victim to these predators who target people when they're already vulnerable.

I'm relatively new to filing unemployment claims and this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I received a text yesterday claiming to be from "NY Benefits Department" saying my claim was being reviewed and I needed to confirm my identity by replying with my SSN and DOB. Something felt off about it, so I ignored it, but reading everyone's experiences confirms I made the right call. What really concerns me is how these scammers are targeting people who are already in difficult financial situations. It's disgusting that they prey on vulnerability like this. I've started screenshotting every suspicious message I receive so I can report them. One question for the more experienced folks here - should I be concerned that scammers might already have some of my personal information like my claim number? I'm worried about how they're getting people's details to make these scams look so convincing. Any advice on additional steps I should take to protect myself would be really appreciated!

As someone who just started receiving unemployment benefits last month, this thread has been a lifesaver! I've already received 4 different scam attempts, including one that was so convincing I almost clicked the link. The scammer even knew my approximate filing date and referenced "recent changes to NY unemployment procedures." What really helped me was calling the official NYSDOL number to verify - turned out to be completely fake. The representative told me they've seen a massive spike in these scams since the new year, especially targeting new claimants like myself. For other newcomers, here's what I've learned: - Save the official NYSDOL phone number in your contacts so you can easily call to verify suspicious communications - Set up text/email alerts from your bank to monitor for unauthorized transactions - Never feel rushed by "urgent" deadlines in texts or emails - scammers create false urgency to make you act without thinking I'm curious - has anyone noticed if these scams increase around certain times of the month? I've been getting more attempts right around when my weekly certification is due, which seems too coincidental to be random. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences - you're helping protect people during an already stressful time!

As a new member here, I just want to say thank you to everyone for sharing these important warnings! I started my unemployment claim just two weeks ago and have already received 3 scam texts. The most recent one really caught my attention because it said "Your NY unemployment direct deposit has failed - click here to update banking information" and came right after I had some legitimate banking issues. Reading through all these experiences has taught me so much about what to watch for. I had no idea scammers were using real claim numbers or timing their attacks around certification deadlines - that's terrifying but good to know! One thing I want to add for other newcomers: I created a simple document on my phone where I log every suspicious text/email I receive with screenshots and timestamps. It makes reporting them much easier, and I've already sent 5 reports to the NY Attorney General's office using the info Andre shared earlier. It's really disheartening that people are targeting us when we're already dealing with job loss and financial stress, but this community is doing such important work protecting each other. I feel much more confident now about spotting these scams thanks to all of your shared experiences!

Just wanted to jump in as another newcomer to share what happened to me yesterday. I've been on unemployment for about 3 weeks now and got a call from someone claiming to be from the "NY Unemployment Fraud Prevention Unit" saying there were "suspicious activities" on my account and I needed to verify my identity immediately or they'd freeze my benefits. The caller had my full name and claim number, which really threw me off! They asked for my PIN and said they'd send me a "verification code" to confirm I was the real account holder. Something felt wrong so I said I'd call them back, and they got really pushy saying it was "urgent" and had to be done right now. I hung up and called the official NYSDOL number instead. The real representative told me this is a very common scam and that there's no such thing as a "NY Unemployment Fraud Prevention Unit" that calls people directly. She said legitimate fraud investigations are handled through secure messages in your NY.gov account, never over the phone. For other newcomers - trust your gut! If something feels off, hang up and call the official number yourself. These scammers are using fear tactics about account freezing or benefit suspension to make us panic and give up our information. Don't let them pressure you into making quick decisions!