ESD claim flagged for fraud review - WorkSource chat actually helped!
Finally got some answers about my stalled unemployment claim! For anyone stuck in limbo, I tried the WorkSource live chat (after calling ESD 19 times with no luck). The WorkSource rep actually gave me useful info and told me my claim was flagged and sent to the fraud department. They provided me a direct number to call. When I called fraud dept, they explained there's been a system issue where legitimate claims are being auto-flagged when people submit weekly benefits. The fraud rep said mine would be cleared today but told me to follow up tomorrow to confirm. Has anyone else had their claim randomly sent to fraud review? Did they actually clear it when promised?
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Freya Larsen
same thing happened to me last month!! my claim got flagged for no reason at all. I was freaking out because I thought someone stole my identity or something. Called like 8 times before I got through to anyone. They said it would be fixed in 3 days but took almost 2 weeks 😡
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Ravi Kapoor
•2 WEEKS?? I can't wait that long! Did you have to keep calling them or did they eventually fix it on their own?
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GalacticGladiator
This is actually a known issue with their system right now. I work with unemployment claims professionally, and ESD's new fraud detection algorithm is being way too aggressive. The good news is they're prioritizing these cases because they know it's their error. The bad news is their timeframe estimates are... optimistic. Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even while this is being resolved. And document everything - who you spoke with, date/time, what they promised.
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Ravi Kapoor
•Thank you! I'll definitely keep filing weekly. The fraud dept rep I talked to was named Marcus - he seemed pretty confident it would be fixed today. Really hope they follow through.
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Omar Zaki
•this is why the whole sytem is broke. alogrithms flagging honest people while actual scammers get away with milions. waste of our tax dollars!!
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Chloe Taylor
I had something similar happen in January. My claim got flagged after I updated my address (moved to a new apartment). The ESD rep I eventually spoke to said anything that changes in your profile can trigger a fraud review. It's super frustrating! I found that I had better luck calling right when they open at 8am - still had to wait but at least got through.
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Freya Larsen
•That's actually good advice about calling at 8am. I tried midday and kept getting the "too many calls" message and disconnected 😠
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Diego Flores
Pro tip for anyone dealing with this: use Claimyr to get through to an ESD agent without the endless busy signals. I wasted days trying to call before I found this service. It basically waits on hold for you and calls when an agent is available. Saved me hours of frustration. Their site is claimyr.com and they have a demo video that explains how it works: https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3
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Ravi Kapoor
•Thanks for the tip! If they don't fix it today like promised, I'll definitely try this tomorrow. At this point I'd try anything to get this resolved.
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Anastasia Ivanova
Did the fraud department give you any indication why your claim was flagged specifically? I'm curious because I'm about to file my first claim after being laid off and want to avoid any potential issues.
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Ravi Kapoor
•They were pretty vague - just said something about "irregularities in weekly submittals" triggering automatic flags. The rep mentioned it's affecting a bunch of people right now. I didn't do anything unusual - just filed my weekly claim like normal.
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Sean Murphy
This entire system is BROKEN!! I had my claim flagged FOUR TIMES last year for absolutely no reason. Each time I had to jump through hoops to prove I'm really me. Meanwhile I couldn't pay rent and nearly got evicted. And guess what? The landlord doesn't care that ESD's system is messed up! They just want their money! The fraud department will promise you the moon but don't hold your breath. Document EVERYTHING and be prepared to call them every single day until it's fixed.
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Omar Zaki
•preach! 👏 the whole unemployment system is designed to make people give up
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Ravi Kapoor
•That's really discouraging to hear. I'm going to call them first thing tomorrow if it's not fixed today. I can't afford to wait weeks for this to be resolved.
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GalacticGladiator
UPDATE: For anyone following this thread or experiencing similar issues - ESD just released a statement acknowledging the problem with their fraud detection system. They're implementing a fix over the next 3-5 business days and have added additional staff to the fraud department. Claims flagged by this specific error should be prioritized for review. Make sure you keep filing your weekly claims even if payments are paused.
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Ravi Kapoor
•Thank you for the update! I just checked my account and it shows the hold has been removed! Payment status changed to 'processing' so hopefully I'll see the money in the next day or two. WorkSource chat + calling fraud dept directly actually worked!
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