Unfortunately this is one of the newest schemes out there to collect fraudulent unemployment benefits. We have recently seen a number of cases where you are directly receiving a Request for Separation Information or Unemployment Claim from a State Workforce Agency that lists you as the employer. Often the "Claimant" is someone that you do not know or recognize and may not be someone who has been employed by you or your company.
If you receive an Employer Claim directly, you should call the number on the form or reach out to the fraud unit in the state that the claim was issued. A complete listing of Fraud contacts can be located at https://support.thomas-and-company.com/hc/en-us/articles/360059003794-UI-Claimant-Fraud-Contacts, This is the quickest way to get the issue recognized at the state level to stop any benefits from being paid out on the claim.
We are currently only seeing this new type of fraud in Ohio but wanted to provide you with an alert as new types of unemployment fraud have spread across the U.S.. We will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates as they become available.