(Wethersfield, CT) – During Cybersecurity Month, Connecticut Department of Labor (CTDOL) Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo encourages residents and employers to learn how to spot the signs of unemployment fraud, know where to report it, and protect yourself from identity theft and cybercrime.
Commissioner Bartolomeo said, “Commercial and retail breaches create opportunities for criminals to buy and sell stolen personal data. This information is used to create imposter accounts, open credit lines, and even file fraudulent unemployment claims. Learning to identify the signs of unemployment fraud and report it quickly will help protect you, your unemployment benefits, and the Unemployment Trust Fund.”
Since March 2020, CTDOL has stopped more than 450,000 fraudulent claims and prevented nearly $5 billion in unemployment payments to imposters. Prior to the pandemic, most unemployment fraud was committed by people working and attempting to collect unemployment benefits. The pandemic caused a spike in unemployment fraud due to imposter claims—using a stolen identity to try to file a claim.
Learn the Signs of Unemployment Fraud
- If you receive a ‘Notice of Monetary Determination’ letter and you did not file for unemployment benefits, an imposter has submitted a claim using your information. File an identity theft report form, available on the CTDOL Fraud Watch page, so we can protect your benefits and ensure no fraud claims are paid out. In many cases, notices from CTDOL are the first indicator that a resident’s identity has been stolen.
- If you receive a 1099 tax form from CTDOL but did not file for unemployment benefits during the tax year, file an identity theft report form linked on the CTDOL Fraud Watch page.
- If you are an employer, you automatically receive notices when an employee files for unemployment benefits. If you receive a notice, but your employee is still working full-time, follow the instructions to report this to CTDOL, or file an identity theft report form on behalf of the employee.
Don't Be a Victim
- Filers should never post unemployment filing information on social media or use social media to answer questions about benefits. Even if your accounts are set to private, do not post pictures of your account or CTDOL correspondence with account information. Use the Consumer Contact Center to get help filing or if you have questions.
- CTDOL does not do unemployment claims work over text or social media. We will not text you with account updates or request any personal data or login credentials over text or on social media. If you get a text from someone claiming to be CTDOL, do not click on any links or give out information. Report fraud texts to CTDOL and your carrier; for major carriers you can forward the text to SPAM (7726).
- Standard credit monitoring services, such as those offered after a retail or commercial breach, may protect ID theft victims against new credit accounts being opened in their names, but they do not alert consumers to all forms of fraud. Generally, they don’t protect against medical, tax, and unemployment fraud; unauthorized credit card charges; and bank or brokerage withdrawals. Consumers must be vigilant about fraud prevention beyond credit monitoring services.
CTDOL’s Fraud Watch page has more information about identity theft and unemployment fraud. A permanent link to Fraud Watch is on the agency homepage.
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Federal funding supports many CTDOL programs in whole or in part. For a list of programs and their funding streams, please visit the federal funding page.
For Immediate Release: October 20, 2025