Scammers Stealing Social Security Numbers To Claim Unemployment Benefits

Could unemployment claims be going to the wrong place? Yep!

Many people are filing for unemployment and are getting denied. But if the message says “This Social Security Number was already used to file a claim”.

Sorry, scammers gotcha! According to the Secret Service, scammers are using Social Security numbers to claim unemployment benefits for people who haven’t filed for unemployment. The fraud ring has stolen millions of dollars in benefits across the county. Using stolen data. Scammers targeted unemployment benefits in states like Washington, North Carolina, Florida, Massachusetts, Wyoming, Oklahoma and Rhode Island.

According to a NY Post report, Washington’s total claims for unemployment benefits rose from about 369,000 to more than 1.6 million last week. How do you protect yourself from being the next victim? We’ll ask Dr. Cheryl McKeiver about this and other Money Questions Thursday Morning at 9am on the WDKX Wake-Up Club Water Cooler.