Adams State has become aware of several attempts to file unemployment claims with the State of Colorado for individuals who are still employed at the University. These are known as “impostor claims” and there has been an increase across the country in such activity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Human Resources has employment verification systems in place for unemployment claims and will contact individuals if a false claim is received. If an employee becomes aware that someone is using their identity to collect unemployment benefits, they should report this immediately to Human Resources.
The State also recommends that the employee:
- File a police report. You can file a “counter report” with your local police department. As a victim, you have the right to file this report. Filing this report does not mean that the police will investigate, but there will be a record of it on file and you can get a copy of the report for your records.
- Report identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission at: https://identitytheft.gov/. The FTC’s website includes helpful resources about how to recover from identity theft and how to protect your identity.
- Create a file where you can keep any records relating to this identity theft in one central place, in case you are notified of other fraud or breaches of your personal information.
- Check and monitor your credit reports at: http://www.annualcreditreport.com/. Keep in mind, if you have medical coverage with Anthem, you have access to credit monitoring and ID Theft protection. For more information, please visit the Benefits page on the HR website and click on “AllClear ID Protection – Anthem Members.”
Scammers rely on social engineering: In a typical phone scam, an employee will receive a phone call from someone claiming to be from the State of Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. The caller may state that the State has no record of employment and ask for the employee’s social security number so that they can receive unemployment benefits.
No one from the State of Colorado nor Adams State (including the Human Resources office) will contact employees by phone to request personal or financial information. Any ASU employee who receives a call asking for a social security number or other personal information related to unemployment benefits should hang up immediately.
The Human Resources office is tracking unemployment fraud attempts. Employees who experience any of these problems are asked to send an email to Human Resources at hr@adams.edu or contact (719) 587-7990.
