INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is warning Hoosiers that a growing number of scammers are filing claims for unemployment benefits using other people’s names and identities. He says that 2020 has already recorded an exponential increase in the number of consumer complaints involving this type of fraud.
Scammers are stealing personal information such as dates of birth, social security numbers, and home addresses. Then, they route the benefit payments to their accounts.
“These deceivers steal the identities of others in order to file fraudulent claims,” Attorney General Hill said. “If someone uses your name in this fashion, you may learn about it from your employer or from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, which processes unemployment claims.”
Hill says that patterns indicate the scammers are targeting people they know are busy working during the pandemic such as doctors, nurses, and others in the health care profession.