PA UC fraud alert: Received 1099-G for deceased daughter who never filed in 2023
I'm dealing with something that's got me completely baffled and upset. My daughter passed away in July 2022 (still heartbroken about it), but I just received a 1099-G tax form from PA Unemployment for benefits supposedly paid to her during 2023. This is impossible since she wasn't even alive during 2023, and she was fully employed at the time of her passing - never filed for unemployment benefits. Someone has clearly stolen her identity and fraudulently claimed benefits in her name. Has anyone dealt with reporting unemployment fraud for a deceased person? Do I need to contact PA UC fraud department or the IRS first? I'm worried about potential tax implications for her estate and honestly don't even know where to begin with this mess.
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Noah Irving
omg thats terrible im so sorry about ur daughter. sounds like identity theft for sure. my cousin had somethin similar happen last yr but not with a deceased person. call the UC fraud hotline ASAP!
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Katherine Ziminski
•Thank you. Do you happen to have the fraud hotline number? I'm looking through so many PA UC pages and getting overwhelmed.
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Vanessa Chang
I'm very sorry for your loss. This is definitely a case of unemployment fraud and identity theft. You need to take several specific steps: 1. Contact the PA UC Fraud Hotline at 1-800-692-7292 immediately and explain the situation. They will flag the account and start an investigation. 2. File a police report with your local police department. Get a copy of this report as you'll need it for other agencies. 3. Contact the IRS Identity Theft Victim Assistance at 1-800-908-4490 and explain that a fraudulent 1099-G was issued. 4. File IRS Form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit) along with a copy of the death certificate. 5. Check her credit reports for any other suspicious activity. Unfortunately, this happens more often than you'd think. The UC system has been targeted heavily by identity thieves since the pandemic.
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Katherine Ziminski
•Thank you so much for this detailed guidance. I'll start with the PA UC Fraud Hotline first thing tomorrow. Do you know if there's a specific form I need to fill out for PA UC to report the fraudulent claim? And should I send them a copy of her death certificate?
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Madison King
The system is BROKEN!!!! This happened to my brother-in-law too (not deceased but someone filed using his info). Took MONTHS to resolve and UC kept sending him notices saying HE owed THEM money for the fraud SOMEONE ELSE committed!!!! YOU need to be PERSISTENT and document EVERY call!!! The fraud dept will probably tell you they're "investigating" but don't hold your breath!!!
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Julian Paolo
•While I understand your frustration, the situation with a deceased person is handled differently in the system. The PA UC fraud department actually has a separate protocol for deceased identity theft cases and they typically resolve these with higher priority. They'll flag the SSN in their system once they receive the death certificate copy.
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Ella Knight
Sorry about your daughter. I got a 1099 last year for benefits I never filed for. Couldn't reach anyone at unemployment to save my life. Busy signals for DAYS. Eventually I got through using Claimyr (claimyr.com) - they connected me to an actual UC rep in about 20 minutes. There's a video about how it works here: https://youtu.be/CEPETxZdo9E?si=WL1ZzVZWG3KiHrg2 The rep flagged my account for fraud investigation right away and told me what forms to submit. Made the whole process way easier than trying to reach someone on my own.
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Katherine Ziminski
•Thank you for the recommendation. I'll definitely look into this if I can't get through on the fraud hotline. I've been dreading the endless phone tree and hold times.
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William Schwarz
My condolences on your loss. I work in tax preparation, and you should also file Form 3949-A with the IRS to report the tax fraud aspect specifically. Make sure to keep copies of all correspondence and get a case number from PA UC when you report the fraud. You'll need to provide proof that your daughter passed before 2023 (death certificate). The state should issue a corrected 1099-G showing zero benefits once they verify. Don't ignore this situation as the IRS may think the estate owes taxes on this phantom income.
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Katherine Ziminski
•Thank you for mentioning the tax implications. I hadn't even thought about Form 3949-A. Should I wait until PA UC completes their investigation before filing this form with the IRS, or should I do both simultaneously?
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William Schwarz
•I recommend doing both simultaneously. The agencies work independently, and starting both processes now will save time. Make note in each filing that you've also reported to the other agency. The IRS process may take 3-4 months, so starting early is important to clear this up before any potential automated tax notices get generated.
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Lauren Johnson
sorry about your daughter :( this happened to me too! not with a deceased person but someone filed UC under my name while I was working. I had to file a police report and then call UC with the report number. They put a fraud alert on my SSN. The hard part was actually getting through to a person at UC though... took like 2 days of calling.
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Julian Paolo
In addition to reporting the fraud to PA UC and the IRS, you should also notify the three major credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax) about the situation. Request that they put a deceased alert on your daughter's credit file to prevent any further misuse of her identity. You'll need to provide them with a copy of the death certificate as well. For the PA UC fraud department, they'll likely ask for: 1. A copy of the death certificate 2. The fraudulent 1099-G 3. Your contact information as next of kin 4. Any details about when you received the 1099-G They should then issue a corrected 1099-G showing $0 in benefits once they complete their investigation. Keep this corrected form for your records as you may need it if the IRS questions the original reported income.
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Katherine Ziminski
•Thank you, I'll definitely contact the credit bureaus too. I hadn't thought of that. I already have several copies of her death certificate ready to send. Do you know roughly how long the PA UC investigation typically takes in cases like this?
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Julian Paolo
•In most cases involving deceased individuals, PA UC tries to resolve these within 30-45 days. Their fraud department prioritizes these cases since they're clear-cut instances of identity theft. However, during high volume periods (tax season like now), it might take up to 60 days. Just make sure to get a confirmation number when you report it, and follow up if you don't hear anything after a month.
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Noah Irving
my friend works at UC and says there were TONS of fraud cases after covid. ppl using random ssn's to file claims. make sure u check ur daughters credit report too!
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Vanessa Chang
Just wanted to add one more important point - make sure to secure a copy of the fraudulent claim details from PA UC during your fraud report. This will show exactly when the claim was filed, what information was used, and any contact details the fraudster provided. This can help with the police report and potentially help catch whoever is doing this. Ask specifically for the "claim filing details" as they sometimes don't provide this automatically during fraud reports.
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Katherine Ziminski
•Thank you for this additional advice. I'll specifically ask for the claim filing details when I call. I'm really hoping they can trace who did this.
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