MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alabama Department of Labor (ADOL) is warning Alabamians receiving unemployment compensation to be wary of fraud and to protect their personal identifying information.
Unemployment compensation fraud has always occurred, but instances are increasing significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a problem that is occurring nationwide, as unscrupulous individuals and crime rings are attempting to defraud states of millions of dollars in unemployment compensation benefits.
“During these trying and unprecedented times, we are advising all citizens that there are always individuals who are trying to run afoul of the law and cheat the system. Regardless of whether you may have filed a claim or not, please be vigilant about monitoring your personal and financial information and to notify us of any issues,” said ADOL Secretary Fitzgerald Washington.
Claimants should not pay any money to anyone who claims to be able to assist in speeding up the progress on an unemployment claim or to be able to secure more money. These people are almost always trying to scam people out of their money. There is never a charge for legitimate services from ADOL.
People who believe their information has been used to file an unemployment compensation claim, or those who would like to report any other type of unemployment compensation fraud, can report it online at ADOL’s new fraud portal at: https://labor.alabama.gov/Fraud/. Citizens should also contact their local law enforcement agencies, to file an appropriate police report.
