Scam Alert? I Received An Unemployment Insurance Claim I Never Filed For
I recently received a letter in the mail from the New York State Department of Labor. It was titled 'Unemployment Insurance Monetary Benefit Determination.' My first thought was if this had anything to do with the fact that I didn't have any gigs as a Mobile DJ during the pandemic.
Since I work full time at WAAL, I figured that was the only thing it could be about. The letter was five pages long. The reason for the letter was, I did not meet the earnings required to qualify for unemployment insurance benefits using either the basic or alternate base period.
To be honest, I was totally confused. That short explanation was baffling to me, but what was more baffling was the fact that I never applied for any monetary assistance from New York State. So I figured the way to find out just what this is all about, was to call the number on the letter. I tried twice but was met with a two minute recorded rant about everything except for what I was calling for. And both times, I was hung up on without ever reaching a real person.
While I continue to find what this is all about, I did some research and found out that there is an unemployment scam going on in at least New York State. Maybe that's why I received a letter form the New York State Labor Department? The letter is legit, but is it possible someone sent in a claim under my name? It's very possible.
According to The Leader Herald in Gloversville, NY, people in New York State are being targeted with the intention of illegally obtaining unemployment benefits using a person's name and whatever information they can get. It could be coming from a person or organization in the United States or overseas. If successful, New York State loses money to these scammers. And the state will want its money back. And that could become a nightmare for the person whose name was used.
I have reached out to the local office of the NYS attorney General, and am awaiting a call back to find out what this letter means if it's part of a scam or not, and if there is anything I need to do about it. I'll keep you posted.