Northwest Iowa — Have you received a window envelope from “Iowa Workforce Development” in the mail, with a green form on the inside, but you haven’t filed an unemployment claim?
You may be the victim of fraud. But it’s likely that the form did actually come from the unemployment office — known as “Iowa Workforce Development” — IWD — in Iowa. KIWA ran a story about a month ago about this type of letter. At that time it was thought that the letters themselves may be fraudulent. But it appears the letters themselves could be legitimate.
Iowa Workforce Development officials tell us they have identified an active scheme that is targeting individuals in Northwest Iowa (and likely other areas of the state). The scheme is attempting to file fraudulent claims by using someone else’s information. As a result, individuals are receiving letters that appear to show that they filed for benefits. If you receive one of these letters and you DID NOT FILE for benefits, please contact IWD immediately.
We talked to a northwest Iowan, who for obvious reasons wishes to remain anonymous, but they did verify that they received a very legitimate-looking mailing from IWD listing two correct recent employers along with one they had never heard of, located on the other side of the state. And this person says they are still employed full-time, and have not filed an unemployment claim.
Jesse Dougherty, a Marketing and Communications Officer with Iowa Workforce Development tells us that IWD is encouraging Iowans to remain vigilant and take action on these letters. He says, “We’re asking Iowans to not ignore the letters because they might be legitimate correspondence from IWD. If you automatically discard the letter, you may be throwing away your chance to stop potential fraud.”
He says that based on their current understanding, the underlying scheme involves attempts to file fraudulent unemployment claims using someone else’s legitimate information.
Dougherty tells us that IWD computers routinely send letters to unemployment claimants and their former employers to make certain that everyone is aware of the claim being filed and to alert interested parties to any potential hearing about the claim. The use of personal information in such a letter does not automatically mean it is a scam – although it could be. In cases like these, Dougherty says real individuals may be receiving legitimate letters from IWD that appear to show that they filed for benefits when in fact they have not.
According to Dougherty, Iowans with any questions about a letter they appeared to receive from IWD should contact the agency immediately at UIFraud@iwd.iowa.gov. If an Iowan is notified about a claim for unemployment benefits in their name that they did not file, he says please report it as soon as possible.
Iowans can find more information or report potential UI identity theft at https://workforce.iowa.gov/fraud.
