Unemployment fraud has skyrocketed in the U.S. in the last 18 months as scammers exploit the COVID-19 pandemic to file fake jobless claims using stolen information, in what reportedly may be the biggest wave of fraud in U.S. history.
You may not learn you are a target of unemployment fraud until you receive a notice from the state or your employer about an application for unemployment benefits. If you receive a notice for unemployment benefits and you have not filed a claim, you need to act quickly and take the following steps to protect yourself:
- Report the fraud to your employer. If you work for Rowan University, please report the fraud to Human Resources by emailing hr@rowan.edu and Payroll Services at payrollservices@rowan.edu
- Report the fraud to the state. If you work in New Jersey, report the fraud to the Division of Unemployment Insurance. For other states, report this fraud to the corresponding state unemployment benefits agency. Please keep a copy of the case number for your records after you file a report.
If you are unable to contact or report the fraud through the state unemployment agency, you may also contact your local legislator as another point of escalation. For Glassboro, you can contact State Sen. Stephen Sweeney's West Deptford office at 856-251-9801 or his Salem office at 856-339-0808.
- Report the fraud to your local police department. Bring the following information to your local police department and file a report:
- The tracking number you received from the state in step 2.
- A government-issued ID with a photo, such as a driver's license
- Proof of your current address, such as a mortgage statement, rental agreement or utility bill
- Any other proof you have of the unemployment fraud, such as a state unemployment agency notice
- Protect your identity and credit. Visit IdentityTheft.gov to make a personal recovery plan and obtain guidance for freezing your credit or placing a fraud alert on your credit reports. In addition, visit our Identity Protection article for information on organizations to notify, such as the Social Security Administration.
- Review your credit report and monitor online accounts. Visit AnnualCreditReport.com to review your credit reports for free to spot suspicious activity or sign up for an Identity Protection service. There are various companies that provide Identity Protection Service and sometimes another insurance policy you have, such as home owner's insurance, provides identity protection service as part of the plan. You should also monitor your online accounts, such as banks or retirement accounts, for unusual transactions.
- Review your online exposure. Visit haveibeenpwned.com to see whether your email accounts and personal information have been involved in a data breach. For more information about using this service, visit go.rowan.edu/pwned.
- Follow best practices with passwords. Visit go.rowan.edu/password for more information on creating unique passwords for websites and using password vaults.
While scammers usually divert fraudulent unemployment payments to their own accounts, it’s possible you may receive these payments directly. If you receive benefits you never applied for, contact your state unemployment office and ask for help. Do not respond to any calls, emails or text messages asking you to wire money, send cash or put money on gift cards. Only a scammer will tell you to do those things, and responding to these requests generally leads to additional problems.
We’ll update our Unemployment Fraud article with additional information and other resources as they become available. If you have any questions, please contact the Technology Support Center at 856-256-4400, or submit a ticket in the Rowan Support Portal.