If you get a letter from an unemployment office confirming an application that you did not submit, watch out! You may be a victim of an unemployment scam.
Here is how this happens:
A criminal applies for unemployment benefits using your name, date of birth, social security number, and other personal information that they may have gotten from a hack or data breach.
You are then notified by an unemployment office or your employer confirming your application. In some cases, you never applied for benefits. In other cases, a criminal may be trying to get benefits that should be going to you.
If you believe you are being targeted by this scam, here is what you should do:
File a fraud report with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development or the unemployment office in the state where this is happening. The best way to file this report is online.
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If you are still working or have been laid off by an employer, alert them to this issue as well.
It is also important to follow steps for protecting your identity including having a credit freeze put into place on your credit report, and notifying the IRS of falling victim to a scam that could affect your taxes.
For more information about this scam and protecting your identity, visit:
Wisconsin Workforce Development Fraud Department or call 1-800-909-9472
IRS Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft
Call For Action Identity Theft Brochure
