This gateway provides the public with a one-stop resource for connecting with state websites and tip hotlines to report potential Unemployment Insurance claimant and employer fraud. Each of the phone numbers and web addresses listed below provide a direct contact to the state to report potential fraud. This information will help states to act quickly to stop the improper payment of unemployment benefits.
Employers and claimants can both commit fraud under state unemployment insurance laws.
Employer fraud can include certain actions to avoid tax liability or establishing a fictitious employer account to enable fraudulent claims against that account. Claimant fraud can include knowingly submitting false information; continuing to collect benefits when knowing oneself to be ineligible; not being able and available to work while certifying for benefits under state law; or intentionally not reporting wages or income while collecting full benefits. Additionally, identity theft may result in unemployment insurance fraud that is not the fault of the employer or the identity theft victim.
The state is required and expected to enforce its own unemployment insurance laws.
All states are required to assess a penalty of not less than 15% of the amount of the fraudulent payment. Other penalties under state unemployment insurance laws generally include criminal prosecution with fines and/or incarceration; required repayment of fraudulently collected benefits; forfeiting future income tax refunds; and/or permanent loss of eligibility for unemployment compensation. Commission of unemployment benefit fraud may also be prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice in federal courts under 18 U.S.C § 1341 or other appropriate federal statutes.
Call the appropriate state fraud hotline listed below.