If someone filed an unemployment claim in your name

Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026

Criminals file unemployment claims with other people's names and Social Security numbers. The first sign is often a letter or a tax form for a claim you never made. This guide lists the signs and the steps to take.

Signs someone filed a claim in your name

  • You get mail about an unemployment claim you did not file, from any state.
  • You get a Form 1099-G for benefits you did not receive, or for more than you received.
  • Your employer tells you it got a request about an unemployment claim while you are still working.
  • Your payments stop and the bank account or address on your claim was changed without your permission.

If someone filed a claim in your name

  1. Report it to the state where the claim was filed and follow its instructions. Some states ask for a police report or a sworn statement.
  2. If you got a 1099-G for benefits you did not receive, the state will send a corrected 1099-G. When you file taxes, report only the income you actually received; do not wait for the corrected form.
  3. Check your free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com or 877-322-8228. Report other identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov.
  4. You can also report unemployment identity fraud that happened after March 2020 to the U.S. Department of Justice National Center for Disaster Fraud. You must still report it to the state.

U.S. Department of Labor: report unemployment identity fraud

After you report

Expect letters about the claim to keep arriving for a while. Do not throw them away and do not answer them as if the claim were yours; write on each one that the claim is fraud and send it back or tell the state how to handle it. If you are still working, tell your employer about the fraud, because the employer may get notices as well.

Keep a record

Write down the date you found out, who you spoke to and what they told you. Keep copies of every letter and every form. If you are asked for a police report, ask how the agency wants it sent.

Report it to your state

47 of the 47 states we have checked give a way to report it in the data. Each state page has a section with the link and phone number:

Keep reading

The home page also compares all states: maximum weekly benefit, weeks of benefits, appeal deadlines and the waiting week.

Sources