 TITLE: Unemployment Scams to Watch Out For CONTENT: This Identity Theft Method Can Be Difficult to Detect\n-----------------------------------------------------\nCollecting unemployment benefits by impersonating workers is a new spin on the crime of identity theft. Historically, ID thieves have used personal information (names, addresses, Social Security numbers and more) to take out loans or open new credit card accounts in victims' names. These bogus loans and credit accounts appear on your credit report and can be spotted relatively quickly using credit monitoring services. Unemployment scams, on the other hand, are harder to detect. According to the FBI, many victims discover them only after one of the following events occurs:\n*   They apply for unemployment and learn there's already an open claim in their name.\n*   They receive a form 1099-G listing unemployment income that's subject to federal income tax.\n*   They receive notice from their state unemployment office confirming that a claim has been filed.\n*   They receive notice from their employer that someone has filed for unemployment in their name.\nUnemployment scammers typically arrange for benefits payments to be deposited into bank accounts they've set up. If they do so, unless you file for unemployment yourself and uncover the conflict, it can be extremely difficult to detect the activity.\nMore rarely, claims filed by scammers result in you receiving an unexpected benefits check, direct deposit or debit card (whichever payment method is preferred in your state). In that scenario, the scammer may contact you by phone or email, posing as your state labor department and instructing you to \"correct the error\" by transferring funds to them. Do not respond to any inbound requests to correct surprise unemployment payments; instead, call your state's unemployment office to report the incorrect payment. Follow their instructions for making any repayments and make sure they look into the possibility of unauthorized filing activity in your name.\nIf you've experienced unemployment benefit fraud, it could mean your personal information has been exposed and is being used in other ways. Consider checking for other forms of identity theft as well. END