Tag Archives: identity theft

ID.me Helps Stop Unemployment Insurance Fraud

by Idaho Department of Labor Director Jani Revier

Crime rings across the globe are exploiting the COVID-19 crisis by attempting to commit large-scale fraud against multiple state unemployment insurance programs, and Idaho is not exempt.

These crime rings possess large databases of stolen personally identifiable information which is used to submit a large volume of applications for unemployment benefits. Scammers use the names and addresses of Idaho residents, but then have payments sent to bank accounts in other states or have bank cards mailed to different addresses.

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Labor Department Advises Idahoans to Watch for Identity Theft

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: March 2, 2021
Media Contact: Darlene Carnopis, Darlene.carnopis@labor.idaho.gov or Georgia Smith, Georgia.Smith@labor.idaho.gov

The Idaho Department of Labor is reminding people to be alert for identity theft related to unemployment insurance claims.

Many individuals have had their personal information compromised, hacked or breached by fraudsters in a large-scale nationwide scam involving phony unemployment benefits claims. If someone has applied for benefits using your personal information, it may have been stolen and misused by fraudsters for unemployment benefits. The Labor unemployment insurance system has not been hacked, nor subject to a data breach.

If you are notified by the Labor Department that a claim has been filed under your name when you did not file the claim, disregard the letter or email and do not click on the link in the email.

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Labor Department Partners with ID.me for Claimant Identity Verification

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Jan. 7, 2021
Media Contacts: Darlene Carnopis, darlene.carnopis@labor.idaho.gov or Georgia Smith, georgia.smith@labor.idaho.gov

The Idaho Department of Labor has partnered with ID.me for unemployment insurance claimant identity verification.

The information gathered from claimants is needed to make sure others are not filing claims using the person’s name and other personally identifying information. This is one step Labor is taking to help prevent fraud.

Thousands upon thousands of unemployment insurance claims have been filed by scammers using false or stolen identities across the country. It is estimated these scammers have siphoned off $36 billion in fraudulent unemployment payments from states since the start of the pandemic and the implementation of the CARES Act.

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Labor Department Advises Idahoans to Watch for Identity Theft

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: June 12, 2020

Media Contact: Darlene Carnopis, Darlene.carnopis@labor.idaho.gov

The Idaho Department of Labor is reminding people to be alert for identity theft related to unemployment insurance claims.

Scammers are attempting to file claims by using the names and personal information of people who have not filed. If you are notified by the Labor Department that a claim has been filed under your name when you did not file the claim, send an email to fraud@labor.idaho.gov. Do not include personally identifiable information such as a Social Security number in the email.

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