There is a new insurance scam happening, and you, or your loved ones, might be targeted. Scammers have started attempting to steal people’s unemployment insurance benefits. Never give personal information to a stranger that calls you on the telephone, even if they sound official.
People who are receiving unemployment insurance benefits have gone through some difficult times. This person either got laid off, or had the company he works for go out of business. Unemployment insurance benefits are not enough to live on, and are never equal to the amount of money that a person made before losing his or her job. The benefits provide a small amount of financial assistance.
To me, it seems incredibly mean spirited for someone to attempt to steal those benefits from the people who are supposed to be getting them. Unfortunately, that is exactly what some scammers are attempting to do. With Christmas being just a few weeks away, it is disheartening that there are people who want to act like the infamous “Grinch”.
This year, several different states made changes to how unemployment insurance benefits are being distributed. Instead of sending out checks every two weeks, states like Illinois, California, and Oregon, started issuing what amounts to an unemployment insurance debit card. People who are receiving unemployment insurance benefits can use the card to make purchases at any store that accepts credit cards. Or, they can transfer the benefits to their bank account.
Now that benefits are being distributed through debit cards, it appears that some scammers have hatched a plan that could allow them to steal the unemployment benefits from the people who are truly supposed to be receiving them. The scammers are using a similar tactic to what has been used by people who want to try and steal the Medicare benefits of seniors.
It starts with a phone call. The scammer is going to tell you that he or she is calling from a bank, and is going to mention your unemployment benefits. The scammer will then attempt to trick you into telling him your personal information. They know that if they can get your information, then they can use it to steal your benefits from you.
In Oregon, it seems as though the scammers are telling people that there is a problem with the magnetic strip on the card that was issued to the person by the Oregon Employment Department. They are also trying to appear as though they are a representative of the bank that issues those cards.
Never tell a stranger who calls you on the phone your personal information. Don’t give them things like your name, your Social Security number, of the number that is on your unemployment debit card. You really don’t have any way of knowing, for certain, that the caller is who she claims to be. The best thing you can do is hang up the phone.
Image by Todd Morris on Flickr