How to Spot Common Scams and Fraud

Common Types of Fraud

Claimant Fraud

Claimant fraud can include various activities including,

Working while collecting benefits and not reporting hours of work and earnings to MARVIN;
Supplying deceptive information or failing to disclose information such as vacation/holiday pay, severance pay, or other pay after job separation;
Providing false work search efforts;
Failing to report not being able and available to work (ill or injured, on vacation) while collecting UI benefits;
Using another person’s identity (name or social security number) to work and/or file a UI claim;
Failing to report refusals of work;
Providing a dishonest reason for separation.

Employer Fraud

Individuals or businesses that deal in cash only or use other schemes to hide their activities and their true tax liability such as:

Providing false information to prevent an otherwise eligible claimant from obtaining benefits;
Paying employees "under the table" to avoid paying taxes;
Incorrectly reporting wages;
Intentionally misclassifying employees as independent contractors.

Learn how to prevent and report employer fraud:

Employer Fraud Prevention and Reporting Infographic

Common Types of Scams

Identity Theft

Identity theft occurs when someone uses another person's information-including wage, employment, and credit card information-to take on their identity.

Identity thieves can also use another person's name, Social Security number, and employment information to illegally file unemployment claims and collect benefit payments.

Phishing and Smishing

Phishing is when a scammer tricks you into giving out personal information. This scam entails a request for your personal information, like bank account numbers, or social security number. One variation of this scam is smishing, which occurs over text.

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