FRAUDULENT UNEMPLOYMENT FILING SCAM
Recently, the FBI warned U.S. citizens of the prevalence of this long-present fraud, which saw an uptick during the Coronavirus related layoffs. UTMB Police has learned that this scam has impacted the University as well.
Stolen identities are used to apply for unemployment insurance claims. Suspects obtain the information from a variety of sources. The FBI stated that such data sources can include the online purchase of stolen information, previous data breaches, computer intrusions, cold-calling victims while using impersonation scams, email phishing schemes, physical theft of data from individuals or third parties, and from public websites and social media accounts.
Many victims of identity theft related to unemployment insurance claims do not know they have been targeted until they try to file a claim for unemployment insurance benefits, receive a notification from the state unemployment insurance agency, receive an IRS Form 1099-G showing the benefits collected from unemployment insurance, or get notified by their employer that a claim has been filed while the victim is still employed.
Be on the lookout for the following suspicious activities:
- Receiving communications regarding unemployment insurance forms when you have not applied for unemployment benefits
- Unauthorized transactions on your bank or credit card statements related to unemployment benefits
- Any fees involved in filing or qualifying for unemployment insurance
- Unsolicited inquires related to unemployment benefits
- Fictitious websites and social media pages mimicking those of government agencies
Tips on how to protect yourself:
- Be wary of telephone calls and text messages, letters, websites, or emails that require you to provide your personal information or other sensitive information, especially birth dates and Social Security numbers. Be cautious with attachments and embedded links within email, especially from an unknown email sender.
- Monitor your bank accounts on a regular basis and request your credit report at least once a year to look for any fraudulent activity. If you believe you are a victim, review your credit report more frequently.
- Immediately report unauthorized transactions to your financial institution or credit card provider.
- If you suspect you are a victim, immediately contact the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit records. Additionally, notify the Internal Revenue Service by filing an Identity Theft Affidavit (IRS Form 14039) through irs.gov or identitytheft.gov.
- Reduce your risk of identity theft by placing a fraud lock on your credit, closely reviewing your financial transactions, reducing the amount of personal information exposed on social media (such as birthdays, names of spouses, names of family members)
- If you are a UTMB workforce member and you have fallen victim to this scam, you can report it to UTMB Police by calling 409-772-1111
If you believe you have been a victim of identity theft related to fraudulent unemployment insurance claims, report the fraud to UTMB Police at 409-772-1111 if you are a UTMB workforce member, state unemployment insurance agencies, the IRS, credit bureaus, and Human Resources department. The FBI and UTMB Police encourages victims to report fraudulent or any suspicious activities to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. You may consult identitytheft.gov for help in reporting and recovering from identity theft.