How to check if someone filed unemployment under my name - Washington ESD identity theft?

This is unfortunately pretty common - unemployment identity theft spiked during the pandemic and hasn't fully gone away. You need to contact Washington ESD immediately to report suspected fraud. Check your credit reports too since they might have used your info for other things.

You definitely need to check this ASAP. Log into the Washington ESD website at esd.wa.gov and create a SecureAccess Washington account if you don't have one. Once you're in, you can see if there are any active or past claims under your SSN. If someone did file fraudulently, you'll see claim activity that you didn't initiate.

happened to my coworker last year. someone filed a claim using her name and ssn, she only found out when her employer got a notice about the claim. took months to straighten out

This happened to my sister last year. She found out when she got a 1099-G tax form for unemployment benefits she never received. Definitely check your account like the previous poster said, but also be prepared to file a fraud report if you find unauthorized activity.

If you're having trouble getting through to Washington ESD about this (their phone lines are always jammed), you might want to check out Claimyr at claimyr.com. They can help you get connected to an actual ESD agent faster than trying to call yourself. There's a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ that shows how it works. This kind of identity theft issue really needs to be addressed quickly with a real person.

DEFINITELY check this out immediately!!! I work in HR and we've seen this happening more and more. Someone files a fake claim using your SSN and personal info, then they get the benefits sent to their own bank account or debit card. You won't know until you either try to file your own legitimate claim or get tax documents.

same thing happened to me but with a different state. took forever to sort out

You need to act fast on this. First, try to access the Washington ESD online system to see if there's actually an account in your name. If you can't log in or there's an existing account, that confirms the fraud. Then file a fraud report with Washington ESD and also file a police report for identity theft.

Just wanted to add - if you do find fraudulent activity on your account, Washington ESD has a specific fraud reporting process. You'll need to fill out an identity theft affidavit and provide documentation proving your identity. The sooner you report it, the easier it is to resolve.

I had this exact same problem trying to reach Washington ESD about fraudulent claims. The regular customer service lines were useless - kept getting disconnected or put on hold for hours. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that actually got me through to a real person who could help with the fraud report. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ showing how it works.

THE WASHINGTON ESD FRAUD DEPARTMENT IS A JOKE! I've been dealing with this for 8 months and they STILL haven't resolved my case. My identity was stolen and used to file claims in three different states. Washington ESD acts like it's my fault somehow.

OP, make sure you document everything - save all the letters you received, take screenshots of any online accounts or messages, and keep records of every phone call or interaction with Washington ESD. You'll need this paper trail for the investigation.

This is becoming such a huge problem. I read that Washington state had thousands of fraudulent claims during the pandemic and they're still dealing with the aftermath. Even if you think you're safe, it's worth checking periodically just to be sure.

wait, how did they even get your social security number in the first place? did you have a data breach at work or something?

This is exactly why I never give out my SSN for anything. Too many scammers out there these days.

One more thing to watch out for - if someone filed fraudulently under your name, they might have also changed your address with ESD so you wouldn't get the mail notifications. When you log into your account, double-check that all your personal information is correct.

One more thing - check with your employer's HR department. Sometimes Washington ESD contacts employers when claims are filed by their current employees. If they got a notice and didn't tell you, that's another piece of evidence for your fraud report.

also freeze your credit reports with all three bureaus if you haven't already. if they got your ssn for unemployment fraud they might try other stuff too

If you do find fraud, also consider putting a fraud alert on your credit reports with all three bureaus. This kind of identity theft often extends beyond just unemployment benefits.

Just want to follow up on the Claimyr thing - I know some people are skeptical but when you're dealing with fraud, time matters. Waiting weeks to get through to Washington ESD can make things worse. At least with a service like that you can report it quickly and get the investigation started.

File a complaint with the Attorney General's office too. They track unemployment fraud trends and it helps them build cases against the organized rings doing this stuff.

this happened to like half the people at my company during covid. the scammers were just mass filing claims with stolen employee data from some breach. most people didn't find out until tax time when they got 1099s for unemployment they never received

One thing that might help - if you can get through to Washington ESD, ask them to put a fraud alert on your SSN in their system. This should prevent any new claims from being filed automatically and flag them for manual review.

Really sorry this happened to you. Identity theft is such a violation and the bureaucracy makes it so much worse. Stay persistent with Washington ESD - don't let them blow you off or make you feel like it's not serious.

question - do you know if the fraudulent claim actually got paid out? sometimes they file the claims but washington esd catches it before any money goes out

Make sure you get case numbers for everything - the police report, the Washington ESD fraud investigation, any credit monitoring you set up. You'll need to reference these numbers in future communications.

I work in HR and we see this more than people realize. The scammers often target people who are currently employed because there's less scrutiny on those claims initially. Definitely report it to your employer too so they're aware.

this is why i never trust anything that comes in the mail anymore. too many scams and fraudulent letters going around

OP, just wanted to check back - were you able to get through to report the fraud yet? If you're still having trouble with the phone lines, that Claimyr service really did help me get to the right department faster than trying on my own.

Update us when you check your account! Hopefully there's nothing there, but if there is, don't panic. Washington ESD has dealt with so many of these cases that they have a pretty streamlined process for resolving them now.

Just to reiterate what others have said - time is really important here. If there is fraudulent activity, the longer it goes unreported, the more complicated it becomes to unravel. Especially when tax season comes around.

Pro tip: if you can't remember if you've ever had a SecureAccess Washington account before, try the 'forgot password' option first with your email. Sometimes people create accounts and forget about them.

whatever you do dont ignore it if you find something. i made that mistake and it made everything worse

Last bit of advice - when you're checking your account, look not just for current claims but also for any closed claims from the past couple years. Sometimes fraud victims don't notice older fraudulent activity until they're specifically looking for it.

If you do end up needing to call Washington ESD about fraud, definitely consider using that Claimyr service someone mentioned earlier. Identity theft cases often require talking to a supervisor or specialist, and those are even harder to reach than regular customer service.

Hope everything works out okay for you! Identity theft is such a violation but Washington ESD has gotten much better at handling these cases compared to a few years ago.

One final thought - if you don't find any fraudulent activity but you're still concerned, you can always call ESD just to put a note on your account to watch for suspicious activity. Prevention is better than dealing with fraud after it happens.

Good luck checking your account tonight! Hopefully it's all clear and you can stop worrying about this.

Really glad you asked about this instead of just ignoring your concerns. Too many people stick their head in the sand with potential identity theft and it always makes things worse in the long run.

Keep us posted on what you find! And remember, if there is fraud, it's not your fault and it is fixable. Just takes some time and paperwork.