AG launches new effort to assist victims of unemployment fraud

(OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.) Attorney General Mike Hunter announced this week his office has developed a new resource to help process unemployment fraud claims. Individuals or businesses that receive bogus claims are asked to fill out a new form on the attorney general’s website, where the claim will then be directed to the proper law enforcement agency. Attorney General Hunter said during the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, there has been an increased number of fraudulent filings to the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC). “After conferring with federal, state and local law enforcement authorities, our office has determined we are well positioned to help victims of unemployment fraud and the OESC, which has seen an inordinate amount of complaints,” Attorney General Hunter said. “Right now, thousands of Oklahomans have a legitimate need for the financial assistance offered by OESC. The hard working citizens of Oklahoma deserve access to these funds, not con artists around the world who are using this public health crisis as an opportunity to exploit our residents and businesses. “I encourage those who believe they are victims of unemployment fraud, whether as an individual or business, to submit this form to our office, which will allow law enforcement to investigate. I am proud of our team at the Attorney General’s Office who are all stepping up and taking on additional duties during this difficult time.” Criminals who commit unemployment fraud use the names, addresses and other information to fraudulently file for unemployment benefits intended for Oklahomans. The individual or business being defrauded is notified by mail their name has been used to collect unemployment benefits. Oklahomans can stop false claims made in their names by contacting the OESC at (405) 962-4602 or fraud@oesc.state.ok.us. For more information on false claims and other resources related to unemployment for individuals and business owners, visit https://oesc.ok.gov/. Individuals are also encouraged to fill out the new form and submit it to the Attorney General’s Office so the claim can be investigated by law enforcement. The email address to submit the form is unemploymentcomplaint@oag.ok.gov. Access the form, here: https://bit.ly/35lium2. Additional information provided by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation: The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI), Oklahoma Information Fusion Center (OIFC) and the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) are seeing an increase in the number of reports being made relating to unemployment fraud. Typically, the individuals who have recently fallen victim to this type of fraud have received a letter from OESC stating a wage review is being conducted to determine the amount of unemployment benefits the victim will receive, along with the victim’s personally identifiable information (PII). However, the victim did not apply to receive unemployment benefits. Below are protective measures that can help Oklahomans avoid becoming a victim of this type of fraud, or similar scams: • Be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls, texts, or email messages. • Do not give out debit card numbers or any other personal informa tion. • Do not reply to, or click on links, within a suspicious email. Often those links are connected to fraudulent websites designed to extract personal information from users. • Pay attention to the URL of a website. Malicious websites may look identical to a legitimate site. • Confirm who you are speaking with. Do not use contact information provided on a website connected to the original malicious request. • Install and maintain anti-virus software, firewalls, and email filters. • Utilize a credit monitoring agency. Additionally, OESC advises the public it does not communicate with customers via text message, charge customer fees to use the website, or release claimant debit card numbers to private companies.