Whether you’re currently receiving unemployment benefits or not, having claims fraudulently filed in your name can lead to major headaches. Unfortunately, there’s been an uptick in these scams recently, making it even more important to know the signs and steps to take if you’re a victim. Read on to learn more about fraudulent unemployment claims and how to protect yourself.
If a scammer gets a hold of your personal information, like your Social Security number, they can use it to file an unemployment claim in your name. They’ll then try to intercept the funds, such as requesting a check be sent to an incorrect mailing address.
Some ways criminals commonly get personal information for this purpose include:
Anyone can be impacted by fraudulent unemployment claims, whether you’re currently unemployed or not. There are signs you should be aware of that may indicate you’ve been targeted with this fraud, such as receiving:
Additionally, if you’re actively employed, your employer may receive a claim in your name if you’re a victim of fraud.
If you suspect that a fraudulent unemployment claim has been made in your name, there are several steps you should take.
If you received a:
To report the fraud:
For more details about how to report this fraud in Pennsylvania, visit the Office of Unemployment Compensation.
Moving forward, you’ll also want to closely monitor your financial accounts for any funds that are incorrectly deposited and take the appropriate steps to return them.
If someone has the personal information needed to file an unemployment claim in your name, they may take other fraudulent actions, as well.
To protect your finances and identity from additional fraud, consider the following actions:
Whether you’re a victim of this fraud or not, make sure you’re always making your best effort at keeping your personal and financial information safe. This means exercising caution when providing sensitive information, like your Social Security number or financial account numbers or PINs, and verifying any requests for such information before proceeding.
Protecting your finances is a team effort. We have a team of trained professionals that respond to reports of fraud. We also provide tools to help you identify fraud, such as a free credit score service* to monitor your financial health, as well as account alerts that notify you of activity in your account
To learn more about what you can do to protect your finances, visit the Security section of our blog.
*PSECU is not a credit reporting agency. Members must have PSECU checking or a PSECU loan to be eligible for this service. Joint owners are not eligible.