Scammers receive unemployment benefits on behalf of working New Yorkers: how to protect themselves

The New York State Department of Labor has released information on scams related to COVID-19 and unemployment benefits. Details of the scheme described the edition Fox5NY.

"These scammers stole the identity of hardworking New Yorkers and tried to illegally obtain unemployment benefits," said Linda Laswell, superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services.

Thieves steal the personal data of people who have jobs and have not applied for unemployment benefits, she said. The State Department of Labor is currently sending letters to victims of fraud informing them that someone has tried to claim unemployment benefits on their behalf.

“There are all sorts of databases where you can buy information on people's dates of birth and their social security numbers,” said Alexander Yampolsky, CEO of SecurityScorecard and an expert on identity theft.

He added that there are some steps you can take to protect yourself.

“Be smart about what you post on social media. People tend to share too much, ”Yampolsky said.

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He also said that passwords are critical, so make sure you change your passwords periodically and don't reuse the same password for multiple accounts.

Identity theft experts are urging everyone to be careful with personal information because criminals are trying to take advantage of this crisis.

“Unemployment insurance fraud is - unfortunately - a scourge that we have to fight every day, but it is especially despicable that criminals have used the global pandemic as a cover to try and trick our system. These benefits have been a lifeline for millions of New Yorkers. Every day, our Office of Special Investigations works to protect our system from fraud and abuse. Our team uses technology, including artificial intelligence and other sophisticated methods, to identify fraud and stop criminals as quickly as possible. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners at all levels to bring these thieves to justice, ”said Head of Labor, Roberta Reardon.

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What to do if your identity is stolen and used to get benefits on your behalf

Act quickly. Here are the steps that can help you protect your finances and credit history:

1. Report Fraud to your employer... Write down who you spoke to and when.
2. Report fraud to your state unemployment agency... You can find these agencies here.
3. Report fraud if possible in the Internet... An online report will save you time and make processing easier for the agency.
4. Save the received confirmation or case number... If you are talking to someone, write down who you talked to and when.
5. If you believe that your personal data has been stolen, please report the incident to local law enforcement and save a copy of the report.
6. Visit IdentityTheft.govTo report fraud to the FTC and get help by posting a free one year fraud alert on your loan, getting free credit reports, and closing any fraudulent accounts in your name. The site will also help you add a free advanced fraud alert or credit freeze to your credit report. This makes it difficult for an identity thief to open new accounts in your name.
7. Often view your credit reports... In 2021, you can check your reports every week for free on the website AnnualCreditReport.com... This can help you quickly spot any new scams.