HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania State Police are warning everyone to watch out for fraud as they claim scammers nationwide are using stolen social security numbers, addresses, and names to try to file fake unemployment compensation claims.
"No one thinks that a scam will happen to them," said Major Jeremy Richard of Pennsylvania State Police who said that anyone can become a victim including children.
Officials believe the stolen identities are coming from information taken from any of the 11,000 data breaches that have occurred nationwide over the past 15 years. They said nearly 1.6 billion records were exposed in those breaches that happened outside of state government.
"These fraudsters are not hacking into Labor & Industry systems and there is no breach of Labor & Industry's new unemployment compensation system," said Pa. Secretary of Labor & Industry (L&I) Jennifer Berrier.
Pennsylvania State Police said they may be a victim of fraud if they receive unrequested paperwork or checks from the state's unemployment compensation. They also warned everyone the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an increase in gift card scams as well.
“Fraud is an unfortunate byproduct of any disaster, and we are seeing the proof of that during the global COVID-19 pandemic,” said Berrier. “It’s frustrating that thousands of data breaches that occurred outside of L&I – and outside of the control of consumers who often had no choice but to give companies their personal data – are now resulting in widespread unemployment fraud attempts. We strongly urge everyone to remain vigilant about fraud and to notify authorities of any suspected fraud activity.”
Berrier said the Department of Labor & Industry is working to resolve fraud reports as 'quickly as possible.' The state recently extended its partnership with identification verification system ID.me to help verify identities of all new applicants.
“Realize it can happen to you,” said Richard. “If you have been a victim, don’t be embarrassed. Instead, report it to law enforcement. The Pennsylvania State Police works closely with its local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to investigate fraud, identity theft, and scams. The sooner law enforcement knows, the better the chances are of recovering your money and catching the scammers.”
L&I claims it has stopped $1 billion in state and federal dollars from being paid to fraudsters since its new website went live June 8. It is unclear just how many fraudulent claims have been attempted to be filed with the state since the pandemic began.
L&I is working with the National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force and other partners, including the FBI, Homeland Security and additional law enforcement agencies, the state treasury and the state attorney general’s office.
What to do if you believe you are a victim:
- For more information on Pennsylvania State Police, visit psp.pa.gov.
- Anyone can contact the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities with questions or complaints about a financial transaction, company, or product at 1-800-PA-BANKS or using the online complaint form.
- Visit www.uc.pa.gov and click on “fraud” to learn the warning signs of unemployment benefits fraud, how to report it, and the steps you should take if you become a victim.