Unemployment fraud spikes in Tioga County

With potentially billions of dollars at stake, state and local officials are asking everyone in the region to be on the lookout for unemployment fraud due to the fact that anyone in the state potentially could be a victim. With a bevy of recent hacks, millions of Americans have their personal information available on the dark web, meaning a person does not have to be interested in obtaining unemployment benefits to be a victim. 

Data stolen from a worldwide break is out there; if you get something in the mail from unemployment or the New York State Department of Labor, do not consider it to be junk mail. I have found a lot of people said they received a letter but threw it out because it didn’t apply to them,” said Sheri McCall, career center manager of the Tioga Career Center, Broome-Tioga Workforce NY. 

According to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office, since the pandemic began, New York has prevented more than 500,000 fraudulent claims totaling more than $6.4 billion in money saved.

“I am finding more of the fraud that is coming across my desk has already been flagged by the Department of Labor, so they are making headway into it in making sure that it is stopped before it starts,” McCall said. 

To get that money, criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated and organized with scams that are ever evolving in their deviousness and efficiency.

“I get a lot of calls from hospitals and school districts in Tioga County, so the fraud is out there and sometimes it’s close to home. I had to tell a family member that an unemployment claim had been filed in their name,” McCall said. 

Due to the ever-evolving nature of scams, McCall said the most effective tool to ensure you are not ensnared in a scam is to remain vigilant and be prudent with whom you share personal information with on the phone or through email. 

“Don’t give out information just because an email looks authentic or because someone tells you they are from an organization. You always have the option to call that company or organization back directly,” McCall said. 

To help combat this issue at the State level, new steps are now being implemented within the application process to ensure a person who is applying is the person they claim to be. 

“This new ID verification tool and these additional resources add to the Department of Labor’s constantly-expanding arsenal of weapons to combat fraud. Every day, we leverage highly experienced investigators, artificial intelligence, and other sophisticated techniques to identify fraud as quickly as possible, stop these criminals in their tracks, and protect New Yorkers’ unemployment system,” said State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon in a prepared statement.

For his part, Cuomo has said that his office will continue to combat the issue, but added that any added levels of protection will not be designed to make the process too arduous to apply. 

“This global public health crisis has created economic uncertainty for countless New Yorkers. The fact that criminals would use these dual crises, as cover to defraud is unconscionable and we’re using every tool in our arsenal to stop them. We’re also taking this opportunity to fine tune the UI system and using state-of-the-art technologies to make sure that benefits go to New Yorkers with legitimate claims and expediting the process so individuals and families get the benefits they need faster,” Cuomo said in a prepared statement. 

While keeping a vigilant eye out for any potential scam is important it is twice as important to act quickly once you believe you have been caught in one. The state recommends that anyone who receives a monetary determination letter from the Department of Labor but did not apply for unemployment benefits should immediately file a report without delay at https://dol.ny.gov/report-fraud

There are no further steps to take and all fraudulent charges will be wiped. 

For those that suspect that they have been a victim of identity theft, they are strongly encouraged to take steps to proactively protect themselves, including those listed at www.identitytheft.gov.

Locally, McCall said the Tioga Employment Center is ready and waiting to answer any questions regarding employment benefits, fraud or no fraud, from anyone who needs help.

“I’m getting phone calls from Staten Island and the Bronx to assist with unemployment questions, we are here and we are helping the best we can. We are not the unemployment department, but we are the mandated partner and we have access to information needed to answer questions,” McCall said. 

The Tioga Employment Center can be reached at (607) 687-8500.

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