The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) on Thursday alerted residents to be aware of scam calls trying to get you to pay a fee to retrieve money owed to you by the unemployment agency. Anyone who receives such a call should hang up right away and report it to the UIA.
The fake calls have raised suspicions in Michigan and other states. One Michigander alerted UIA that they had received a call from the 313 area code claiming to be a UIA human resources manager and providing an employee number. The caller went on to say the agency owed the resident about $4,000, but they had to pay a $105 fee to receive the funds.
The UIA does not charge a fee to release unemployment benefits to anyone who qualifies for payments. There is also no cost to apply for benefits.
“There is no end to the ways criminals prey on people to try to steal their money. You should be cautious if you are contacted randomly by someone who says they are from the UIA and offering you money,” said Jason Palmer, director of the Michigan UIA. “There are two secure ways an individual receives the benefits they are entitled to: posted to a debit card from U.S. Bank, a nationally known, reputable institution, or by direct deposit into your own bank account. You will never be asked by the UIA to pay a fee to access the money you were approved to receive.”
A phone scam similar to the one in Michigan was reported to states by the Unemployment Insurance Integrity Center, which is part of the U.S. Department of Labor. The center said an artificial intelligence-driven fraudulent call operation targeted North Dakota residents saying $4,000 in unclaimed unemployment insurance benefits was available. The caller then would try to collect personally identifiable information from the targeted victim.
Anyone who receives a call, text, or email purporting to be from the UIA should call the agency’s Customer Service hotline at 1-866-500-0017 right away to verify whether the call is legitimate. If you have an active or previous claim, Customer Service staff can review and verify your claim’s current standing. The UIA corresponds with anyone receiving unemployment benefits through their secure Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) account or by regular mail.
Here are five things to do to avoid being the victim of a scam:
1. Do not click on links in random emails that appear to be from the UIA asking you for a username and log-in.
2. Verify with the UIA if you receive an email or phone call that purports to be from the agency.
3. The UIA never randomly texts claimants or employers. Do not respond to random texts claiming to be from the agency and asking for information or providing a link to click. Delete the text and report it as spam.
4. Do not share any personal information if you receive a random call claiming to be from the UIA.
5. Stay up to date with your MiWAM account by monitoring correspondence or requests for information from the UIA.
Report unemployment fraud by clicking on the Report Fraud or Identity Theft link on the Michigan.gov/UIA homepage.
The fake calls have raised suspicions in Michigan and other states. One Michigander alerted UIA that they had received a call from the 313 area code claiming to be a UIA human resources manager and providing an employee number. The caller went on to say the agency owed the resident about $4,000, but they had to pay a $105 fee to receive the funds.
The UIA does not charge a fee to release unemployment benefits to anyone who qualifies for payments. There is also no cost to apply for benefits.
“There is no end to the ways criminals prey on people to try to steal their money. You should be cautious if you are contacted randomly by someone who says they are from the UIA and offering you money,” said Jason Palmer, director of the Michigan UIA. “There are two secure ways an individual receives the benefits they are entitled to: posted to a debit card from U.S. Bank, a nationally known, reputable institution, or by direct deposit into your own bank account. You will never be asked by the UIA to pay a fee to access the money you were approved to receive.”
A phone scam similar to the one in Michigan was reported to states by the Unemployment Insurance Integrity Center, which is part of the U.S. Department of Labor. The center said an artificial intelligence-driven fraudulent call operation targeted North Dakota residents saying $4,000 in unclaimed unemployment insurance benefits was available. The caller then would try to collect personally identifiable information from the targeted victim.
Anyone who receives a call, text, or email purporting to be from the UIA should call the agency’s Customer Service hotline at 1-866-500-0017 right away to verify whether the call is legitimate. If you have an active or previous claim, Customer Service staff can review and verify your claim’s current standing. The UIA corresponds with anyone receiving unemployment benefits through their secure Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) account or by regular mail.
Here are five things to do to avoid being the victim of a scam:
1. Do not click on links in random emails that appear to be from the UIA asking you for a username and log-in.
2. Verify with the UIA if you receive an email or phone call that purports to be from the agency.
3. The UIA never randomly texts claimants or employers. Do not respond to random texts claiming to be from the agency and asking for information or providing a link to click. Delete the text and report it as spam.
4. Do not share any personal information if you receive a random call claiming to be from the UIA.
5. Stay up to date with your MiWAM account by monitoring correspondence or requests for information from the UIA.
Report unemployment fraud by clicking on the Report Fraud or Identity Theft link on the Michigan.gov/UIA homepage.
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