BBB Warns: Fraud Alert – Unemployment Claims
March 4, 2021 – BBB serving Louisville, Southern Indiana, and Western Kentucky has received multiple reports of fraudulent unemployment claims. Local consumers have received notices from either their state unemployment benefits office or employers regarding applications for unemployment benefits, despite the fact the individuals never applied for the benefits. Scammers, taking advantage of the ongoing pandemic and the resulting increase in unemployment rates, are stealing consumers’ identities to file fraudulent claims.
If you have received a notice regarding an unemployment benefits application and you have not filed for benefits, take the following action steps to safeguard your identity, finances, and credit:
- Report the fraud to your local Office of Unemployment (OUI). You can find your local office by clicking here.If you speak with an individual at your local OUI, keep a record of that person’s name and when you spoke.
- Report the fraud to your employer. Keep a record of whom you speak with and when.
- Report the fraud to the IRS. You can find the appropriate form by clicking here.
- File a police report with your local police department. Obtain a copy of the report so you can provide it to credit agencies. You can find more information on the major credit reporting agencies and request your free reports at annualcreditreport.com.
- Report the fraud to the FTC. You can do so by clicking here. When you file with the FTC, you can place a free one-year fraud alert on your credit, as well as a credit freeze on your credit report (this makes it difficult for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name).
- Change passwords on your email, bank, and other personal accounts. Alert your bank and credit card companies that you have been the victim of identity theft and ask that they put a fraud alert on your account(s).
- If you receive benefits you did not apply for, report this activity to your local OUI. Do not respond to any emails, calls, or text messages instructing you to wire/send money or put money on gift cards.
ABOUT BBB: For more than 100 years, the Better Business Bureau has been helping people find businesses, brands and charities they can trust. In 2020, people turned to BBB more than 220 million times for BBB Business Profiles on 6.2 million businesses and Charity Reports on 11,000 charities, all available for free at BBB.org. The International Association of Better Business Bureaus is the umbrella organization for the local, independent BBBs in the United States, Canada and Mexico. BBB Serving Louisville, Southern Indiana, and Western Kentucky was founded in 1916 and serves 44 counties in Kentucky and 8 counties in Southern Indiana.
