Ports need to be on guard against fraudulent unemployment claims

You open your mail for the port, surprised to see a letter from the Washington Employment Security Department (ESD) asking you to confirm that a currently employed staff member has been terminated. You head home and open your own mail, shocked to find another letter from ESD confirming that your unemployment benefits have been processed. What’s going on?

As unemployment levels in Washington have climbed to historic highs following the COVID-19 crisis, so too have unemployment claims skyrocketed. Commensurately, fraudsters seeking to exploit the weaknesses in ESD’s systems and gain access to unemployment money bolstered by federal CARES Act payouts have flooded the unemployment system with phony claims. Public employees are at a special risk for this kind of identity theft, as so much information about their jobs (including income and past employers) is easily and publicly available online.

Ports need to be vigilant in monitoring correspondence from ESD to ensure it lines up with reality. Similarly, as a public employee, you may want to take steps to ensure you are not at risk for fraud.

If a fraudster does use your identity to file for benefits, or your port receives a confirmation letter from ESD related to fraudulent activity, use this form on the ESD website to report it: https://esd.wa.gov/unemployment/unemployment-benefits-fraud