Should I report job scams to ESD when filing weekly claims?
I'm currently receiving unemployment benefits and I keep getting these suspicious text messages and emails about 'amazing job opportunities' I never applied for. Most are obviously scams offering $35/hr for entry level work from home jobs with vague descriptions. When filing my weekly claim, should I report these as job offers? I'm worried if I don't report them and somehow ESD finds out, they might think I'm turning down legitimate work. But reporting obvious scams also seems pointless and might complicate my claim. What's the right approach here?
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Marina Hendrix
No way, don't report those! Those are fishing scams looking for your personal info. I get like 5 a day about remote customer service jobs paying $40/hr with benefits starting tomorrow lol. ESD only wants you to report REAL job offers that you've actually applied for or been contacted about from legit employers. If you haven't even applied and it's just random texts, that's not a job offer.
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Romeo Barrett
•That's a relief! Some of them look so professional that I was getting paranoid. Do you know if ESD has any guidelines about this specifically? My WorkSource advisor didn't really give me a clear answer.
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Justin Trejo
According to ESD guidelines, you only need to report legitimate job offers that you've actually interviewed for or directly applied to. Random solicitations, especially those with telltale scam indicators (unusually high pay, vague job descriptions, unsolicited contact), are not considered valid job offers for unemployment reporting purposes. When filling out your weekly claim, you're being asked about actual job offers you've received through proper channels - not spam texts or emails. However, if you're ever uncertain about what constitutes a job offer, you can contact ESD directly to clarify your specific situation.
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Alana Willis
•my cousin got in trouble for not reporting some message he got on linked in from a real company so its better to be safe then sorry just report everything
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Tyler Murphy
I had this same concern a few months back! After trying for DAYS to get through to ESD (constant busy signals, disconnects after waiting an hour), I found Claimyr and got connected to an ESD agent in about 15 minutes. The agent confirmed that spam job offers don't need to be reported - only legitimate offers where you've had actual contact with a real employer. Check out their video demo at https://youtu.be/7DieNd3C7zQ?si=26TzE_zGms-DODN3 if you need to get through to ESD quickly. Claimyr was a lifesaver when I needed answers about my specific situation.
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Sara Unger
•I'm skeptical of ANY service that claims to get you through to ESD quickly. How do they actually do this? Are they just using auto-dialers which is probably against ESD's terms? Seems like yet another way to potentially make money off desperate unemployed people.
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Tyler Murphy
•I understand the skepticism! I felt the same way initially. It's not an auto-dialer - their system finds open lines and connects you directly. I was surprised it actually worked after spending three days trying to get through myself. For me, it was worth it to get a definitive answer from ESD rather than relying on internet advice about my claim. The peace of mind was worth it, especially since my benefits were on the line.
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Butch Sledgehammer
i dont waste time with those scam texts just delete them right away. one time i replied to one just to mess with them and they tried to get me to send them money for "training materials" LMAO. esd only wants to know about real jobs trust me
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Alana Willis
OMG I've been reporting EVERY SINGLE ONE on my weekly claims!!!! No wonder my payments have been pending for 3 weeks now!!!! Has anyone had this happen? Will they backpay me once they realize these weren't real job offers????
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Justin Trejo
•Your payments are likely pending for reasons unrelated to reporting potential job offers. When you report turning down what ESD considers a legitimate job offer, they typically initiate an adjudication process to determine if you had good cause, not just place claims in pending status. I'd recommend contacting ESD directly to find out the specific reason for the pending status - it's more likely related to identity verification, job search documentation, or another technical issue with your claim.
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Freya Ross
When I worked for ESD back in 2019, we specifically instructed claimants NOT to report obvious scam solicitations. The relevant question on weekly claims is asking about actual job offers, which means an employer has specifically selected you for a position after some form of application or interview process. Random unsolicited texts don't qualify. But I'm going to disagree slightly with some others here - if you receive what seems like a legitimate job offer through LinkedIn or a professional channel from an actual company, even if unsolicited, you should report that and be prepared to explain why you didn't pursue it if that's the case. Better safe than sorry with potentially legitimate offers.
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Romeo Barrett
•Thank you for this insider perspective! That really clarifies things. I've been getting both obvious scams and some borderline ones through LinkedIn that at least appear to be from real companies. I think I'll ignore the obvious scams but maybe follow up on the LinkedIn ones just to verify if they're legitimate before deciding whether to report them.
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Sara Unger
The ESD guidelines are frustratingly vague on what constitutes a "job offer" that must be reported. This is BY DESIGN so they can disqualify people later by claiming you should have reported something you didn't think was relevant. I've seen them penalize people for not reporting LinkedIn messages that the claimant thought were just networking attempts. The whole system is designed to trip people up and deny benefits whenever possible. My advice? Document EVERYTHING. Screenshot those scam texts and emails so if they ever question you, you can prove they were obvious scams. The burden of proof is ALWAYS on the claimant, NEVER on ESD.
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Justin Trejo
•While it's always good to document communications related to your claim, I think this view is overly pessimistic. ESD guidelines do specify that a job offer means an actual offer of employment from a legitimate employer, not random solicitations. The weekly claim questions are asking if you've refused any work during that week, which implies work that was actually offered to you specifically. They're not trying to disqualify people based on spam texts.
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