Several clients notified us that they were victims of a fraudulent unemployment claim in their name. This fraud is widespread and losses are estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Washington has been a primary target of the fraudulent claims, but other states impacted include North Carolina, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, Wyoming and Florida.
These criminals use stolen Personally Identifiable Information (PII) to file state unemployment claims in the victim’s name. Often times victims only become aware of the fraud once they are contacted by their state’s unemployment office.
You can take action to determine whether you have been impacted. Here’s how: go to Secure Access Washington Account at https://esd.wa.gov/. You’ll be prompted to verify your identity. If your Social Security Number is linked to another email account, you will receive an alert.
While this particular fraud has not extended to investment accounts, please contact us if you become a victim of this crime. We can add extra security alerts to your accounts to ensure your safety.