Attorney general offers tips on unemployment fraud identity theft

Press release

HELENA — Across the country, state unemployment programs have been targeted by criminals taking advantage of the pandemic by illegally obtaining benefits through fake claims and Attorney General Tim Fox has issued tips to help Montana victims of this crime.

“Criminals are taking advantage of the COVID-19 crisis by using information obtained from a variety of sources to apply for unemployment benefits that should rightfully go to Montanans financially impacted by the pandemic,” Fox said.  “Be suspicious if you receive a letter saying you qualify for unemployment benefits when you didn’t apply, or if you get a letter supposedly from the IRS claiming you underreported benefits. There are several steps you can take to report the crime and protect your banking accounts and credit score.”

Other signs personal information was used improperly include people getting requests for information to apply for unemployment benefits, or an employer was notified someone applied for unemployment benefits when they did not.  

For people who suspect their information was used in unemployment fraud, Fox offered these tips:

• People should report the incident to:

1) Their employer;

2)The Montana Department of Labor and Industry by phone at 1-888-566-5677, or online;

3) The Federal Trade Commission’s site at https://www.identitytheft.gov/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery .

• Freeze credit. A credit freeze lets people “lock” their credit information so no one can access it without their permission. To get one, people should contact each of the three credit reporting agencies, TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. If they request a credit freeze, each agency will send them a written notice when the freeze is in place, along with a PIN to make changes to the freeze.

• Put a fraud alert on their credit report. People can put a fraud alert on their credit report by contacting any of the three credit reporting agencies. They’ll share your request with the others. Placing a fraud alert doesn’t hurt somoeone’s credit score.

• Check their credit report. People can get a free copy of their credit report at https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery . People should check their credit report periodically to see if it shows fraudulent activity. Normally, people are entitled to one free credit report every 12 months; however, due to COVID-19, all three credit reporting agencies offer free weekly online reports through April 2021.

• Monitor their bank accounts. People should close any account that they know or suspect has been tampered with or fraudulently opened.  If scammers succeed in getting unemployment payments with people’s information, it usually goes into accounts they control.  People won’t be required to repay benefits that were fraudulently paid out.

• People should not respond to requests to send money. Sometimes, the fraudulent unemployment benefits can end up in the victim’s account. If this happens, scammers may try to get the victim to send the money to them. They may pretend to be a state agency saying the money was sent by mistake. People should not respond to any contact telling them to return the money through methods such as wiring, sending cash or putting money on gift cards. State agencies will never ask for payment that way.

• People should not respond to requests for personal information. They should not give out personal information over text, email or phone calls they didn’t initiate. They should not put personal information on websites or social media. People should be wary of sites that say they can help people file for unemployment benefits, or people who say they can help file for a fee.

For accurate information regarding unemployment benefits, people can visit the Montana Department of Labor and Industry’s website at http://uid.dli.mt.gov/report-fraud?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery .

According to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, it has paid out more than $10 million in potentially fraudulent unemployment claims during the pandemic, but has stopped more than $220 million in fraudulent payments since the end of April.

For more information on identity theft, people can visit the Office of Consumer Protection’s website at https://dojmt.gov/consumer/identity-theft/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery, or call 800-481-6896 or 406-444-4500.