Recent Unemployment Fraud Scheme: What you need to know
The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) has seen a rise in fraudulent unemployment claims attempting to exploit the overall increase in unemployment insurance claims associated with COVID-19. As many as 400,000 Coloradans have been affected.
This nationwide fraud scheme involves unemployment claims filed using another person’s identity (Learn More About Identity Theft).
Many Colorado fraud victims are alerted to the scheme by receiving a U.S. Bank ReliaCard in the mail when they have not filed for unemployment. In a Jan. 14 update, the CDLE reported that fraud victims are receiving IRS 1099-G Forms for unemployment benefits they did not receive. As the University continues to take action to address the breach, here are some recommended steps from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment for you to take:
- Contact one of the three consumer credit bureaus and put a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number (SSN). It may be an automated system, so you may not talk to a live person and you will have to enter your SSN and date of birth.
Credit Bureau Contact Info:
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
Experian: 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
- Submit a fraud report with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
- If you received a U.S. Bank Reliacard for Colorado unemployment benefits but did not file a claim, fill out the U.S Bank Form and contact U.S. Bank immediately at 1-855-279-1678. Tell them that a fraudulent unemployment claim was filed using your information, and ask them to deactivate the card.
- It is also recommended that you file a police report. You can file a "counter report" with your local police department. As a victim, you have the right to file this report. It doesn't mean the police will investigate it, but there will at least be a record of it on file and you can get a copy of the report for your records.
- You can also report identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission at identitytheft.gov. The FTC's website includes valuable resources about how to recover from identity theft and protect your identity.
- Lastly, create a file where you can keep any records relating to this identity theft in one central place, in case you are notified of other fraud or breaches of your personal information.
It is important to regularly review your credit reports from each of the three credit bureaus. Each will look different and may contain different information. If you discover any incorrect or fraudulent information on your credit report, you should dispute it with the credit bureau directly. Normally, you can receive one free copy of your credit report each year from each credit bureau. Due to increased fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic, each of the three credit bureaus is offering free weekly credit reports via annualcreditreport.com.