Information from the Cuyahoga County Department of Consumer Affairs and its Scam Squad Partners

Scammers have exploited pandemic unemployment insurance programs by filing for benefits using stolen names and Social Security numbers. Tens of thousands of Ohioans are believed to have been impacted.

Signs you are a victim of this type of fraud include:

• You received a 1099G tax form from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services but never received unemployment benefits.
• You got a state benefits card in the mail you weren’t expecting.
• Your employer got a letter from ODJFS wrongly claiming you filed for unemployment.
• You received an unemployment insurance fraud notification letter from ODJFS.

If you are a victim of unemployment fraud, take these steps as soon as possible to protect yourself and your credit:

1. Report the fraud to ODJFS at unemploymenthelp.ohio.gov or call 833-658-0394 (The toll-free line is staffed from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays.) ODJFS will flag the claim as fraudulent. (The ODJFS site has details on filing tax returns if you wrongfully received a Form 1099G.)
2. Alert your employer, which should use the employer portal at unemploymenthelp.ohio.gov to report fraudulent claims to ODJFS.
3. File a complaint with your local police and/or notify federal authorities through ic3.gov.
4. File an identity theft report at identitytheft.gov to get a step-by-step ID theft recovery plan tailored to you. Taking the steps on the plan can prevent scammers from using your information in other frauds.

Need extra help? Cuyahoga County residents can call Scam Squad at 216-443-SCAM (7226) to speak to an investigator.

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