By JULIE CUNNINGHAM
(Boston, MA) A nationwide unemployment scam is targeting the Massachusetts unemployment system. Individuals in possession of stolen personal information are filing illegitimate unemployment claims through the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance, or DUA. Additional measures have been put in place to verify the identity of a claimant that may delay the amount of time it takes to receive benefits.
“While the program integrity measures we are taking are unfortunately mean that some claimants will experience temporary delays in payment, we believe these steps are necessary to respond to this unemployment scam,” said Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Rosalin Acosta.
Anyone who believes a false unemployment claim may have been filed in their name should contact the DUA Customer Service department at (877) 626-6800 or complete a contact form at mass.gov/unemployment-fraud.