Unemployment fraud is a continuing concern across the country and the numbers of claims are increasing. Criminals are using stolen personal information of employees from higher education, companies, and government to file fraudulent unemployment claims. Our investigations have not indicated a breach of K-State systems but preemptively put this information out there to stop it from happening.
Where do criminals get your personal information?
Criminals often use personal information (names, addresses, social security numbers) from previous nationwide data breaches. Since we are a public institution, employment data for state employees is publicly available, including salary data.
If you receive a fraudulent unemployment claim from the Kansas Department of Labor, immediately report this to www.ReportFraud.ks.gov. Other steps to take as outlined by the Kansas Department of Labor:
- Notify all three major credit reporting bureaus.
- Request a “fraud alert” on your credit report.
- Contact your financial institutions.
- Create an account with Social Security Administration: www.SSA.gov and check your earnings record for suspicious activity.
- Notify Internal Revenue Service’s fraud hotline at 1-800-908-4490.
- Request a copy of your Wage and Income Transcript from the IRS.
- Report identity theft with the Federal Trade Commission: www.FTC.gov.
How can you protect yourself?
Be vigilant: If you receive a notification that you didn’t expect from the university, a government agency, a bank, etc., contact the organization immediately using a trusted phone number or email from their website. Don’t use any contact information in the email or the phone call, as it may be fraudulent. If you get suspicious emails sent to your K-State address, forward them to abuse@ksu.edu.
Be proactive: Change passwords for your online accounts immediately if you get unusual notifications or suspect suspicious activity. Use complex passwords or a passphrase, and do not reuse passwords for multiple websites. Use multifactor authentication, such as Duo, whenever possible on any accounts is also another way to keep your information secure.
Also, report any identity theft attempts to: https://www.identitytheft.gov/