Scam Alert: Md. Unemployment Insurance Fraud

Maryland authorities are warning the public about unemployment insurance scams.

According to the Department of Labor Unemployment Division and Maryland State Police, people are receiving emails, calls and text messages from would-be scammers posing as a labor official. A common scheme by text asks the recipient to enter a user ID and password, which can result in legitimate benefit payments being diverted to another bank account.

The Department of Labor does not send links by text to verify account information, and never requests or requires payment for assistance with unemployment insurance.

MDSP and MDOL provided additional details:

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How to Protect Yourself From Unemployment Insurance Fraud Scams

To help you distinguish between legitimate assistance from Division staff and fraudulent assistance from a potential scammer, please remember the following:

• Division does not provide assistance through text message and will not send any links asking a claimant to verify their account through text.
• Division will never request or require payment for assistance with unemployment insurance.
• Division staff will not provide assistance to claimants through direct message on social media.
• Do not provide any sensitive information related to your Maryland unemployment insurance claim by e-mail unless it is to a @maryland.gov e-mail address.

Report Fraud Scams

If you believe that your information has been used to fraudulently file an unemployment insurance claim, please contact the Maryland Department of Labor’s Division of Unemployment Insurance by visiting MDunemployment.com or e-mailing ui.fraud@maryland.gov. Suspected unemployment insurance fraud should also be reported to the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General Hotline by visiting the website or calling 1-800-347-3756.

Identity Theft Protection and Resources

Follow these steps to protect your information from identity theft. If you believe you have been a victim of identity theft, please do the following:          

• Contact your local Police Department or Maryland State Police Barrack in your area to file a police report.  
• File a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) online at IC3.gov.

For more information about identity theft, and how to protect yourself please visit:

• Commissioner of Financial Regulation Identity Theft Page
• Maryland Attorney General Identity Theft
• IdentityTheft.gov

What Else Can You Do

Review Your Account Statements and Order a Credit Report. We recommend that you regularly review account statements and order credit reports. Under Maryland and federal law, you are entitled to two FREE credit reports from each of the credit reporting agencies each year. Call 1-877-322-8228 or visit www.annualcreditreport.com to access your report through the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. You must contact each of the three credit reporting agencies individually to access your credit report under Maryland law:

• Equifax: 1-800-685-1111
• Experian: 1-888-397-3742
• TransUnion: 1-888-909-8872

If you have questions or need additional information, contact us. Please know we will remain vigilant in our coordinated efforts to secure and protect your information. To receive updates and additional information about unemployment insurance programs in Maryland, visit MDunemployment.com.