Fraudulent unemployment claims are on the rise, and even organizations such as the Basalt Chamber of Commerce have had to report fraud to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE). Even if you don’t have employees, you may still be targeted by this scam. At the chamber, our Executive Director had to file a report on a fraudulent claim for herself.
Both employers AND employees can help prevent unemployment fraud. Below are helpful How Tos from Chamber member ASAP Accounting & Payroll. More details can be found here.
What EMPLOYERS should do
CDLE | Identity Theft Q&A for Employers [PDF]
If an employer receives a fraudulent unemployment claim for an active employee or someone who has never worked for the organization. the employer should:
- Immediately report the fraudulent unemployment claim to CDLE to hold payment while the investigation is pending. DO NOT reject, appeal, or ignore the claim. If you have questions, call Employer Services at (303) 318-9100. You do not need to send a copy of the fraudulent claim to any payroll provider.
- Alert employee(s) that their personal information may have been stolen and they should submit an Identity Theft Form to CDLE, as well as take other precautions to secure their personal information.
What EMPLOYEES should do
- Immediately report the fraudulent unemployment claim to CDLE.
- If you have received an unemployment U.S. Bank card in the mail, deactivate it by filling out the U.S Bank Form.
- Contact the three consumer credit bureaus and put a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number (SSN).
Credit Bureau Contact Info: Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 Experian: 1-888-397-3742 TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289 - Create a file where you can keep records of this identity theft in one place.