What should I do if I receive a 1099-G for fraudulent benefits?

If you receives a 1099-G despite never having made a claim for unemployment benefits, you should take the follow steps.

1. Contact the state agency to report that your identity has been used to claim UI benefits. You can find the specific contact information using the state contact guide found here: https://support.thomas-and-company.com/hc/en-us/articles/360059003794.  
2. Report the fraud to your HR department.
   
   • You should also alert your HR Department so this potential fraud case can be reported to Thomas & Company. Once reported to us, Thomas & Company will reported the fraud to the State Workforce Agency and we will monitor the case to protect your employer's account from fraudulent charges.
3. File a report with both the FTC and the IRS.
   • You should report the identity theft to the FTC at https://identitytheft.gov. The FTC site also provides you with a personalized recovery plan based on the information that you provided. With an account, the FTC can walk you through each step of the recovery process, update the plan as needed and track your progress as well as provide pre-filled forms and letters that may be needed,
   • You should also report the identity theft to the IRS to help avoid paying taxes on the 1099-G income. This can be done via phone at 1-800-908-4490 or by filing  an IRS Form 14039 – Identity Theft Affidavit (https://irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f14039.pdf)
4. Contact your bank, credit card companies and all three credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) to place a freeze on your credit reports to further protect your identity during the investigation.

• Identity Theft Protection programs may also be available to you through your employer.  If you are not currently enrolled or a program is not offered by your employer, we have partnered with Aura Identity Guard, a leader in identity theft protection, to provide you protection for a low monthly rate.  Aura is unique in that you will be assigned a dedicated Case Manager as a single point of contact to assist with: 

  • 1. Contacting the state workforce agency to help resolve the UI Fraud claim.
    2. Determining if you have been a victim of other identity theft and help you resolve it.
    3. Providing ongoing protection from fraud to help achieve personal and financial goals.

  For more information about Aura Identity Guard, please visit (identityguard.com/thomasco).