WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE A VICTIM OF UNEMPLOYMENT FRAUD
August 4, 2021
Trenton – Since the start of the pandemic, unemployment fraud has reached peak levels, with more than $63 billion being paid out improperly since March 2020.
Due to the excess of unemployment insurance claims (UI) being filed, New Jersey residents must remain diligent in preventing fraud.
If you believe you are a victim of unemployment fraud, it is imperative you take action. The following steps are necessary to combatting fraud:
Reach out to the Division of Unemployment Insurance immediately to avoid delaying your own legitimate benefits claims;
Contact your employer to ensure that they are aware of the situation;
Report the fraud to the Federal Trade Commission to prevent any further identity theft;
Reach out to each of the three credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — to put a fraud alert on your account and freeze your credit;
File a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud by completing an NCDF Complaint Form online, or by calling 866-720-5721; and
Report the scam to your local police department or Sheriff’s office.
While these steps will not prevent unemployment fraud from happening, they are essential in order to deter further crime from occurring.
New Jersey had been working diligently to prevent unemployment fraud through its contract with ID.me, a security vendor that specializes in providing a multi-factor identity verification using an online, self-service application to assist in authenticating claims. Additionally, the American Rescue Plan provided an additional $2 billion to states administering unemployment, including fraud prevention activities.
