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BRUNSWICK, Ohio -- As tax season approaches and unemployment claims continue to rise due in part to COVID-19-related layoffs, area police departments are reporting a concerning increase in a new type of identity theft.
“Identity theft is a constant battle, and they are coming up with clever ways to do it,” Brunswick Hills Township Police Chief Tim Sopkovich said of the roughly 10 to 12 reports of fictitious unemployment claims his department has received in the past month.
“With COVID, and the state receiving so many claims for unemployment benefits, (identity thieves) are thinking, why not file a claim?” Sopkovich said.
“But I don’t know how they are getting (victims’) information; these people haven’t filed anything. It is not hard to find peoples’ information in this day and age, but some of these are elderly and haven’t worked in years. They are not on social media, so we don’t know.”
Most often, Sopkovich said, victims are not aware of the fraudulent filing until they receive a 1099-G form from the state, reporting the unemployment benefits that were issued in their name.
The question of where those illegally obtained benefits actually went, meanwhile, remains a mystery.
What victims can do
Police are advising victims to contact the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) or the Ohio Attorney General’s Office -- as well as checking their bank accounts and credit report information -- if they suspect that their personal information has been compromised in this way.
The Attorney General’s Office has also created an information page devoted to unemployment fraud on its website, at https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Media/Coronavirus-Resources-Guidance#faq
The attorney general recommends that if a person has not filed for unemployment benefits in 2020, but receives a 1099-G tax form, a letter from ODJFS stating that unemployment benefits have been applied for in their name, a US Bank ReliaCard for funds not recognized or expected or notification from an employer that ODJFS is inquiring about unemployment benefits not applied for, they should contact ODJFS immediately.
They should also check their credit report, consider placing an Initial fraud alert on their credit report and consider placing a permanent security freeze on their credit report.
Widespread problem
Other area police departments have reported receiving a similar number of unemployment fraud reports as Brunswick Hills.
James Drozdowski, public information officer for the Avon Police Department, said Feb. 4 that the department had taken 13 unemployment fraud-related reports since the beginning of 2021.
“I’m sure other agencies in the county are getting these as well,” Drozdowski said.
Brunswick Police Lt. Robert Safran said the Brunswick Division of Police began to see the trend shortly before Christmas and has taken approximately 45 reports since then.
“With tax season coming, I expect to see it continue,” Safran said. “(And) it seems to be somewhat age related, with retired persons reporting the most.”
There have been instances, however, when a currently employed person has been victimized.
“But a company with a more robust human resources department can probably catch it,” Safran said. “I guess the question the state has to answer is where the money went.”
Victims, meanwhile, are questioning how this could affect tax filing this year, Sopkovich said.
“They have to determine how to pay taxes, because the State of Ohio is saying they were paid this money,” he said.
On its website, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office notes that it “cannot help with filing taxes,” directing victims instead to the Internal Revenue Service website.
Silver lining and continued concern
According to both Sopkovich and Safran, only victims’ names have been used to obtain unemployment benefits in the cases they have seen, with no instances thus far of victims’ bank accounts or other personal information being breached.
But since law enforcement officials are unsure exactly how the information was obtained to begin with, it is still unclear how much information was obtained or how it could be used in the future.
“That is why we tell people to keep checking their credit reports and bank accounts,” Safran said.
Read more news from the Brunswick Sun.
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