HELENA –
The Montana Department of Labor & Industry (DLI) today advised Montanans to
protect their personal information in response to an increase in reported
criminal activity regarding Unemployment Insurance (UI) claim fraud.
“Over
the past week, DLI has seen a significant rise in reports of imposter fraud. This
is where bad actors apply for unemployment benefits using someone else’s
identity and personal information stolen from sources outside of the agency,”
said Acting DLI Commissioner
Brenda Nordlund.
“This activity is not unique to Montana. States across the
country are facing a barrage of imposter claims.”
Additionally,
DLI is warning Montanans that with the rise in UI claims and enhanced benefits,
bad actors may pose as department representatives and contact someone and
attempt to obtain personal information.
“Many
Montanans may not know their information has been stolen, and we will be
alerting individuals who may be victims of imposter claims,”
Nordlund
said.
“Our agency has controls and processes in place to prevent, identify,
and block fraud. Unfortunately, bad actors continuously look for new ways to
circumvent our efforts.”
DLI is implementing these
additional steps to protect Montanans’ personal information and combat imposter
fraud:
•
Increasing
the number of investigators on our fraud investigation team.
•
Cross-matching
data with other state agencies and across the country to detect fraud activity.
DLI advises Montanans not to reveal
any personal information if contacted by anyone identifying themselves as a UI
fraud investigator. Instead, tell the caller that you will immediately call
them back at the official UI Claim fraud number at (406) 444-0072. In addition,
those that receive emails from UI staff members should remember that all
official emails are sent from @mt.gov email addresses.
DLI has also received reports of
fraudsters offering to help UI claimants and businesses by sending them to fake
websites that request personal information. Official DLI websites that are
trusted sources of information and services include:
•
MontanaWorks.gov – UI Claimant portal
•
mtpua.mt.gov – Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
UI portal
•
uieservices.mt.gov – State Information Data Exchange
System (SIDES) electronic services for employers
•
dli.mt.gov – main DLI website
DLI is encouraging those that believe they may
be a victim of imposter fraud to report it at
uid.dli.mt.gov/report-fraud immediately. Individuals can also file
complaints with the Federal Trade Commission at
ftc.gov. Those that are victims of UI imposter fraud
are not required to repay the stolen money. Those that are victims of fraud and
then must apply for UI benefits are still able to do so.