Technical Update 2 - Increase in Unemployment Fraud
January 12, 2021
Many of our counties and county employees have reported receiving fraudulent unemployment claim forms. The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) has seen a spike in fraudulent claims since Christmas when the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program ended on December 26th. Recent legislation has since extended these benefits by 11 weeks.
Fraudsters who were targeting federal funds from the PUA began targeting Colorado’s State unemployment system in higher numbers. Employees have reported receiving U.S. Bank ReliaCards, which the state uses to pay unemployment benefits, in the mail. At the same time, employers have reported receiving paperwork from the CDLE asking them to verify the unemployment claims. Phil Spesshardt, the Department of Labor’s benefits services manager, stated that fraudsters are stealing mail and using addresses from rental and for-sale home listings to file false claims.
How to Report Fraud
If you receive unemployment paperwork or a debit card and you did not file a claim, you should submit a fraud report (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6bAS54zwurgQKlFM9mR1FOprBLKyGeSAt3K1_pGSFr_Ms4g/viewform) to the CDLE. If you are an employer and you received fraudulent paperwork asking you to verify a current employee’s unemployment, then either you or the employee should submit one report. Both employer and employee do not need to submit a report for the same incident.
Additional Steps
The CDLE recommends that victims of fraud take the steps shown below:
The CDLE also advises fraud victims to contact the three consumer credit bureaus and place a fraud alert on their name and social security number. Some fraud alert systems are automated and require callers to enter their social security number and date of birth. Never give this information or other personally identifiable information (e.g., bank account numbers, account passwords, etc.) to someone who calls you over the phone.
Credit Bureau Contact Info: Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 Experian: 1-888-397-3742 TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
What This Means for Counties
CTSI administers member counties' property and liability, worker’s compensation, and health pools. CTSI does not handle unemployment benefits. For more information about unemployment fraud, visit https://cdle.colorado.gov/fraud-prevention or contact the CDLE.
Many of our counties and county employees have reported receiving fraudulent unemployment claim forms. The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) has seen a spike in fraudulent claims since Christmas when the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program ended on December 26th. Recent legislation has since extended these benefits by 11 weeks. Fraudsters who […]
The Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act went into effect on January 1, 2021. Enacted in 2019, the Equal Pay Act contains several parts and is designed to protect against wage discrimination based on sex, prohibits employers from asking job applicants about their salary history, and requires employers to disclose compensation and promotion information. […]
In November 2016, Colorado citizens voted for Amendment 70, which raises the state minimum wage. The minimum wage is the lowest wage that can be paid to most workers under the law. Since July 24, 2009, the federal minimum wage for covered nonexempt employees is $7.25 per hour. The federal minimum wage provisions are contained […]
As winter approaches and temperatures drop, it is an excellent time to look at county buildings for areas that could be damaged by freezing temperatures and snowy weather such as roofs, gutters, and pipes. Ice Dams Ice dams occur when water freezes near the edge of a roof or around drains and prevents melting snow […]