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This page contains alerts for known scams related to collecting unemployment benefits in an effort to protect claimants and employers and their personal information.
Do NOT click on links, enter your user information, or provide any information to suspicious websites or messages.
Beware of solicitations from debt relief services offering to negotiate a reduction on an unemployment overpayment debt for a small fee. Wisconsin Unemployment Insurance (UI) does not employ outside debt relief or debt collection services. Unemployment overpayments and penalties cannot be settled for a lesser amount.
Please call (608) 266-9701 to speak to a Wisconsin UI Collections Specialist if you have any questions about your debt repayment options and to make payment arrangements. If you are unable to pay the full amount, the collections specialist will be able to assist with various payment options available to you.
Be aware of phishing websites. You may receive links to these sites via text, email, or via a web search. Scammers trick you into signing into their site using familiar DWD webpages to steal your personal information. Official messages from DWD provide the my.unemployment.wisconsin.gov web address.
We have received numerous reports of phishing text scams. The web address changes frequently, but the message is typically similar to: “Due to numbers of fraudulent claims we request you to verify your Wisconsin UI identity here on FAKE WEB ADDRESS HERE to prevent your Account being locked. Wisconsin Unemployment Insurance.” If you have opted in to receive text messages from the department and you’re not sure if something is legitimate, log in to your Claimant Portal to see if you’ve really received a message.
If you have opted in to receive text messages from the department and you’re not sure if something is legitimate, log in to your Claimant Portal to see if you’ve really received a message. If benefit payments have been made, you can see those on the Claimant Portal. You are not required to click a link to process your payments.
Facebook posts for Call Center Job openings on UpWork or paying CareerOneStop to help you apply for UI are a scam. Do not apply for these jobs; and do not pay for these services. There is a posting on a Facebook group (Strictly Homebased Work)-linking to a job posting on UpWork that is soliciting call center workers—allegedly for CareerOneStop. The call-center script offers to help people file a UI claim for a fee of $49.50. The script directs the call-center workers to say they are calling on “behalf of CareerOneStop which is a product of the USDOL/ETA.”
There is no fee to file for unemployment benefits. If you get a phone call from someone representing themselves as being from California EDD or a representative of Wisconsin Unemployment Insurance telling you that you need to pay to file for unemployment benefits - Do not give any information to the caller or send money.
There are several websites that advertise that they can assist claimants in filing for unemployment benefits. Some of those sites offer services free of charge and others do charge for the services. The sites often ask for confidential/private information such as your Social Security number, address, work history and email address. Use only the official Wisconsin Unemployment Insurance websites: dwd.wisconsin.gov/ui or my.unemployment.wisconsin.gov
We WILL NOT ask you for personal information or for you to verify your eligibility for unemployment benefits by email or text message. If you receive an email or text message and you are unsure if it came from Wisconsin Unemployment Insurance, contact a claims specialist by phone at (414) 435-7069 or toll-free at (844) 910-3661.
A recent scam directs claimants to a website (unemploymentclaims.org) to apply for a debit card. The scam company then charges for no activity on the card. Wisconsin Unemployment Insurance uses the Visa® Pre-Paid Debit Card (U.S. Bank ReliaCard®) to pay unemployment benefits.
Protect yourself when using your Wisconsin Unemployment Insurance Debit Card and any other personal debit or credit cards. Be discreet when entering your PIN or withdrawing cash at an ATM. If an ATM or even a gas pump looks suspicious, do not use it!; Criminals try to steal information about your credit or debit card through skimming, copying information from the magnetic strips, in order to gain access to your account.
If you receive a call from someone representing himself as an employee of Wisconsin Unemployment Insurance offering employment but requesting your credit card number and personal information to be hired, do not provide the information. Wisconsin Unemployment Insurance would not ask you for your credit card information.
Wisconsin Unemployment Insurance does not pay claimants to take surveys. If you receive an email requesting that you complete an online survey seeming to be from the State of Wisconsin, DWD, Unemployment Insurance which promises to pay you to complete the survey, do not complete the survey. This is likely an attempt to get your personal information.
The University of Wisconsin (UW) Office of Human Resources received several reports of unemployment phone scams and fraudulent attempts to collect benefits using stolen information. Scenario: Employee receives a phone call from an unknown number. The caller impersonates a Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) employee, and states that DWD had no record of UW employment. They then request the employee provide their Social Security number to receive unemployment benefits.