Unemployment Insurance Fraud Information

During the pandemic, an unemployment insurance fraud scheme has been targeting unemployment assistance programs across the country.

Those who are committing the fraud are believed to be using stolen personal information from earlier national data breaches. There is no indication that these fraudulent claims stem from any breach of MIT data. When a fraudulent unemployment claim is filed in the name of an MIT employee, MIT will protest the claim as soon as it learns of it through our claims adminstrator.

What to do if you have been targeted

If you receive correspondence from the DUA, such as a notice of application, an approval letter, or a DUA debit card, or if you otherwise learn that an unemployment claim has been filed in your name, please follow the guidance provided below.

  1. You should submit a report through the Department of Unemployment Assistance fraud contact form or call the DUA customer service department at 877-626-6800. See how to report fraud in other states.
  2. Apply for a credit freeze at the three major credit bureaus (TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax). In addition to contacting your lenders, you can monitor information posted to your credit report by requesting their free weekly credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com. For example, through myEquifax, consumers have access to an additional six free credit reports a year. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) provides consumers with the ability to provide a 100-word statement to their credit report, and to dispute any inaccuracies on their credit report.
  3. You may file a police report with your local police department (this is part of MGL 93H, the Mass data security law). The police department will then create a record, which you or MIT can then provide to the Office of Consumer Affairs & Business Regulation, if needed.
  4. File your state and local taxes if you haven’t already in order to prevent fraudulent tax filings. There are additional steps for victims of a fraudulent tax filing.
  5. If unemployment insurance payments are actually made to the person who fraudulently made the claim, it is possible that the money would be reported as your income and you would receive a 1099-G form at the end of the year. If you file the fraud form with the DUA as identified in Item #1 above, you should not receive a 1099-G.
  6. Speak with a tax advisor to see if it is advisable to file an Identity Theft Affidavit (IRS Form 14039).

You may also want to:

  1. Notify banks, credit cards, health insurance, and others with personally identifiable information.
  2. Sign up for additional credit monitoring services.

You can also download these steps as a PDF:

Additional information and guidance

Still have questions? Please contact your Human Resources Officer or your local HR representative.