Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Jerry Oleksiak is reminding Pennsylvanians of the warning signs associated with the widespread identity theft fraud ring targeting COVID-19 unemployment compensation (UC) benefits programs across the nation.
The federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program is the primary target of this sophisticated scam and victims are urged to report instances of fraud to L&I and local police.
“Pennsylvania takes unemployment benefits fraud very seriously and first warned the public about this national scam in May,” said Oleksiak. “These fraudsters are using personal information previously stolen from sources outside of commonwealth agencies to file for PUA benefits. Many Pennsylvanians are not even aware their identities were stolen in the past until they receive correspondence or a debit card from our UC office. I urge everyone to remain vigilant, recognize the scam warning signs, and know what to do if you become a victim.”
L&I continues to work closely with many state and federal partners, including banking and law enforcement officials. That collaboration identified more than 4,000 fraudulent claims in Pennsylvania for PUA benefits and prevented more than $44 million from reaching criminals.
“Pandemic Unemployment Assistance funds are intended to help Pennsylvanians who lost their jobs because of the coronavirus,” said U.S. Attorney Bill McSwain. “Thieves who attempt to take these funds are taking advantage of others’ misfortune – ripping them off while also ripping off all taxpayers who fund the program. I want to commend the outstanding cooperation and coordination among federal and state agencies, and private banking institutions, that together achieved this remarkable success. The U.S. Attorney’s Office Coronavirus Working Group enables us to combine the tremendous resources and skill of federal and state law enforcement to do what it takes to bring these criminals to justice.”
To report fraudulent activity regarding Pennsylvania’s unemployment benefits, call 1-800-692-7469, file a police report with the municipality you resided in at the time the unemployment benefits in question were paid, fill out an identity theft form at
https://www.dlisecureweb.pa.gov/FRTS/IdentityTheft.aspx or fill out an unemployment claims fraud form at https://www.dlisecureweb.pa.gov/FRTS/BenefitsFraud.aspx.
If you are a victim of identity theft you may also report it to the Federal Trade Commission and start a recovery plan at
https://www.identitytheft.gov/.
