It seems there is a "new" scam in town - Unemployment Fraud. This is the latest of many scams where hackers are applying their skills to get money. And it does not matter if you are retired or still employed. it is still going on!
Close To Home
We had two employees in our agency who received a letter in the mail from the Ohio Department of Unemployment giving them a temporary password, followed by a temporary PIN # a couple of days later. They are both fully employed with our agency -- and yet, it happened.
Other Ways
Here are some other common ways per the BBB Scam Tracker, other victims are becoming aware of false unemployment claims:
- An employer is notified their actively employed employee has filed for unemployment.
- Getting a notice confirming the employee's last day of employment
- Denial of unemployment benefits
- Receiving a 1099-G form advising them of their receipt of thousands of dollars in unemployment benefits
How Can Scammers Get Information
Scammers can purchase your personal information and then match names, and date of births with Social Security numbers. This is unfortunately seems to be all that is needed to file a faux unemployment claim.
Identify Theft Protection
Many insurance companies offer Identity Theft Protection to help victims restore their identity. Usually, identity theft protection can be added to your home insurance, renter's insurance, mobile home/manufactured home insurance, or condominium insurance policy. As insurance companies vary on the identity theft protection, talk with your insurance agent to learn about your options, or give us a call!
Tools
While we feel helpless when these moments of identity theft occur, there are resources and tools we can utilize to start reversing the damage.
- Check your credit reports each year for free at AnnualCreditReport.
- Reach out to your state's Department of Job and Family Services and follow the steps to report identity theft as an individual or as an employer.
If you have a business, consider including Cyber Liability protection to your business insurance plan. With Cyber Liability in place, this coverage will help protect your business against damage to electronic data, virus or malware attack, liability to third parties, and also help recover the cost of restoring and recreating data to your system, restoring systems to pre-attack levels, lost business and unforeseen expenses, and public relations services.
Internet crimes and scams are a real fact of our modern day lives. Utilizing the tools and resources available to you and/or your business, helps reduce the stress of going it alone. Let our professionals help you today! Call us, visit us, or get a quote now! We look forward to talking with you soon!