Take these steps now.

By Eugenia Jones
eugenia@highland.net

The Office of Senior Protection has received reports from Kentuckians regarding 1099-Gs for money they did not receive from the unemployment insurance system. This is one type of unemployment fraud that is being reported to the office and usually means that a scammer has used an individual’s personal information to file an unemployment insurance claim.
If a Kentuckian receives one of the these statements, there is a website, at ag.ky.gov/identity-theft, with information about how to report the suspected fraud and protect their identity from further harm.
The suspected fraud should be reported first to the Kentucky Office of Unemployment Insurance by visiting https://secure.kentucky.gov/FormServices/UI/Fraud.
Then, it should be reported to the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) by calling 866-720-5721 and to the Office of Senior Protection at ag.ky.gov/scams.
Once the fraud is reported, it is also recommended that Kentuckians place a free fraud alert on their credit report and put a “freeze” on their credit report at the major credit reporting agencies.
All of these tips and more are available at ag.ky.gov/identity-theft. The Office of Senior Protection is also involved in ongoing investigations related to unemployment insurance fraud.