Protect Yourself from Fraud

Recognize and Avoid Unemployment Insurance Scams

Beware of “phishing” attacks, which are messages designed to trick people into clicking on a link or sharing information. People may try to steal your information by impersonating OED or other government agencies through text messages, emails, or other communication channels. Don’t click on links in text messages.

Use our established websites and communication channels:

• Don’t trust UI information from unofficial websites. You can read information about and watch videos about the Unemployment Insurance Program at unemployment.oregon.gov.
• Oregon’s websites end in “.gov” or “.state.or.us”. Web sites that end in other suffixes are not a safe place to log into and check your unemployment benefits. Don’t trust unemployment insurance information from unofficial websites.
• Don’t use a scam site. If you’re not sure, start at unemployment.oregon.gov. You can find direct links to Frances Online and other safe links there.
• Make sure you’re interacting with the Oregon Employment Department’s official social media accounts. We are active on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. We may ask for your contact information, but we will never ask for a password, PIN, or SSN through social media.
  
• If you get a call from an investigator, you can check the name of that person to confirm if they work for the Oregon Employment Department at employeesearch.dasapp.oregon.gov. Call the number listed on the employee search site.

Be wary of scams. We will never ask for money in exchange for you to receive your benefits. Take these steps to protect yourself against scams:

• We do not text claimants.
• Never give out your personal information to an unsolicited email or text message.
• Ignore any requests for money or fees to help you get unemployment insurance benefits.
• Check to make sure your payments arrive on time. If a payment is late (and it’s not because of a holiday), contact us right away.
• Don’t share your personal information, PIN, or passwords with anyone.
• Don’t reuse PINs and passwords. If you have, change them.
• Don’t use PINs or passwords that include the name or birthdates of friends and family members.
• Use unique and complex PINs and passwords.

Signs of Identity Theft

Most victims of unemployment insurance identity theft don’t know that claims for unemployment insurance benefits have been filed and that benefits have been collected using their identities. Many people only find out unemployment insurance identity theft occurred when they receive something in the mail, such as a payment or state-issued 1099-G tax form that is wrong or that reflects benefits they did not receive.

You may be a victim of unemployment insurance identity theft if:

• You’ve received a letter from us about your unemployment insurance claim, but you have not filed a claim.
• You’ve received unemployment insurance benefit checks from us in the mail, but you have not filed a claim for benefits.
• Your employer has informed you that they received notice from the Employment Department that you have filed a claim, but you have not filed a claim.
• You’ve received a 1099-G form, but you did not file a claim for unemployment insurance benefits. This is an example of a 1099-G form.

What to Do if You Receive Documents from the Employment Department but Did Not File for Benefits

If you receive a 1099-G tax form from the Employment Department, and you did not file a claim or receive unemployment benefits, contact us immediately with our online form or by calling 503-947-1995 or 1-877-668-3204. If we confirm that identity theft took place, you won’t need to report the amount on the 1099-G to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). We will send you an amended 1099-G tax form.

If you receive benefit checks or a U.S. Bank Reliacard®, call us at 877-345-3484 or use the Contact Us form. Mail the checks to the Employment Department:

Oregon Employment Department

PO Box 14130

Salem, OR 97309

Please include a brief explanation of why you are returning these items so that we know what action to take. Once we confirm that identity theft has taken place, we will cancel the checks and the fraudulent unemployment insurance claim.

What to Do if You Are a Victim of Identity Theft

If you are a victim of identity theft, you can take several steps. These steps can help protect your finances and limit further fraudulent activity:

Tell the Oregon Employment Department about Identity Theft

• Report unemployment insurance identity theft to us as soon as possible by reporting it through the Employment Department ID Theft Reporting form or by calling us at 503-947-1995 or 1-877-668-3204.
  • You might receive a call from an investigator if we need more information. NOTE: We might call from a phone number that your phone shows as unlisted or blocked. Your caller ID might not say the call is from the Oregon Employment Department. We will leave a voicemail with information on how to contact us. If we can’t leave a voicemail, we will send a letter.
  • If you have any concerns that the caller is not from the Oregon Employment Department, you may end the call and contact us directly using the options on the Ways to Contact Us page. However, this will cause a delay for us in working on your claim.
  • We might request additional documentation (like a police report or a sworn affidavit) in order to complete the investigation.
  • If you received a Form 1099-G for benefits you didn’t receive, please tell us immediately. We can issue a corrected Form 1099-G and update the tax record with the IRS on your behalf.
  • If you received a check when you didn’t file a claim, please follow the instructions above for returning it. If you already spent the money or delayed returning it, we encourage you to contact us immediately. Otherwise, you are responsible to report it on your tax returns, and you might receive a bill for a fraudulent overpayment in the future. (An overpayment is when you received benefits you were not eligible to receive.)
• Request a copy of your Wage and Benefit Report from the Oregon Employment Department to check it for accuracy. You can request a copy through the Contact Us page or by calling (877) 345-3484.

Tell the Authorities About Identity Theft

• Report identity theft with the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338) or visit identitytheft.gov.
• Contact your local police department.
• Notify the Office of Inspector General, at oig.ssa.gov/report, if your Social Security Number (SSN) has been fraudulently used.
• Contact the IRS to report the identity theft and that your SSN was used to file a fraudulent unemployment insurance claim. Visit the IRS website to learn how to file your taxes after unemployment insurance fraud or identity theft.

Watch Your Accounts

• Work with a tax professional or follow IRS instructions to file your taxes if you received an incorrect 1099-G due to fraud.
• Check your credit report for suspicious activity or unauthorized lines of credit opened.
• Change online account passwords and make your passwords difficult so others cannot easily access your accounts.
• Contact your financial providers (banks and credit card companies) to flag irregular transactions.

Fraud Reports

We publish a report every year about how fraud affects the program and Oregon's Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. You can read our 2022 report, 2021 report, and 2020 report.