GENERAL QUESTIONS
- You receive mail from the Department of Labor about unemployment insurance (commonly a monetary determination or claimant welcome packet) and have not filed a claim for benefits.
- You are notified by your employer that a claim for benefits has been filed when you have not been separated from employment.
- You attempt to file a claim online and are notified that one already exists.
If you believe a fraudulent claim has been submitted using your information and you have not applied for unemployment insurance benefits in Vermont, you should take the following steps:
- Report the claim or by calling 802-828-4104. You will only receive follow up from the Department if additional information is needed.
- Monitor your accounts for any suspicious activity.
- Request your free credit reports via www.annualcreditreport.com and review them for other fraudulent activities.
We take fraud very seriously. In response to the uptick since the start of the pandemic, we have created a UI Fraud Unit and work closely with both state and federal law enforcement partners. The Department has implemented multiple fraud mitigation tools and strategies and continues to adapt to stay ahead of the sophisticated fraud rings which are consistently evolving. Additionally, we have removed the initial unemployment insurance application from the website and implemented security measures throughout the UI claim process to mitigate fraud.
Fraudulent activity is not limited to a specific type of employer. All types of employers and businesses have been impacted by UI fraud.
CLAIMANT SPECIFIC
After reporting the claim, the UI Fraud Unit will investigate the claim. If the claim is determined to be fraudulent, we will shut down the claim. Because we are reviewing thousands of claims, you will only receive follow up from the Department if we need additional information.
Yes. We will be able to differentiate between the two claims.
If you are filing a fraud report using the online form and receive the confirmation page after you click “submit,” your report was received by the Department. Because we receive all reports and are focused on making sure these claims are withdrawn from the system, you will only hear from the Department if we need more information.
Unfortunately, we are not able to do that because we do not have that information available. Once we are able to identify the fraudulent claim and remove it, the information is then passed along to state and federal law enforcement partners for further review and criminal investigation.
No. Fraudsters in possession of stolen personal information from past data breeches are using this information to attempt to defraud unemployment systems across the country. This increase in identity theft fraud is not the result of any known data breech by the State of Vermont.
No. Fraudulent funds are not reported as income to the IRS, and you will not receive a 1099-G form if you report the fraud.
EMPLOYER SPECIFIC
Employers play a critical role in helping us to detect fraud and differentiate between identity theft (when someone’s actual personal identity has been stolen) or intentional claimant fraud (when the claimant intentionally files for benefits while working).
- Employers should first confirm with their employee if they filed the claim.
- If it is determined to be identity theft, the employee should complete the online fraud reporting form here or call our UI Fraud Tip Line at 802-828-4104.
- Keep any correspondence you received (likely a separation form) in a safe place in case the Department needs additional information from you.
Employers are given 10 days to respond to the request for separation form. We are also using a variety of cross check processes to verify the identity of the claimant.
If an employee’s identity has been stolen and a fraudulent unemployment claim has been filed in their name, the employee should report this information to the Department. More information on recommended next steps for those who are victims of fraud can be found here: . This includes filing a police report, monitoring accounts, and placing a freeze on their credit.