The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) is marking International Fraud Awareness Week by urging claimants and employers to remain vigilant about protecting personal and business information from bad actors.

UIA uses robust proprietary and publicly available tools to catch scammers who try to file false claims or alter bank routing information provided by claimants. UIA uses an end-to-end approach to identify scammers throughout the filing process: flagging suspicious claims when filed, monitoring active claims for suspicious activity, and supporting law enforcement investigations when fraudulent activity is identified.

“UIA will never let up in our efforts to identify bad actors and protect taxpayer money meant for deserving workers at a critical time in their lives,” said UIA Director Julia Dale. “Scammers are always devising new ways to steal what’s not theirs and UIA aggressively goes after them to block their despicable schemes.”

5 tips to avoid identity theft

During International Fraud Awareness Week, which is a global effort to promote anti-fraud awareness and education, UIA offers these tips to avoid identity theft:

• Keep personal information secure.
• Monitor credit reports and all transactions on bank and credit card statements.
• Never send any information, click on links, or respond to a suspicious email address or text messages received from unknown numbers.
• Be alert for phishing and spoofing scams.
• Use strong passwords and add authentication steps.

If you suspect you are the victim of fraud or identity theft, contact the UIA immediately at 1-866-500-0017 and submit the information through your Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) account. You can also go to Michigan.gov/UIA and click on the Report Fraud or Identify Theft link.

This video explains how to report incidents to the UIA.

Keep your UIA account secure

Besides being aware of the many ways scammers try to steal information, it’s also important to protect your unemployment insurance account. Here are helpful tips from the National Association of State Workforce Agencies for claimants and employers:

      Claimants should:

• Create a strong password using upper- and lower-case, symbols, and numbers. Change it often. Also, be sure to use multi-factor authentication.
• Review your MiWAM account often to verify no one has changed your information.
• Don’t click on a link in an email or text with threats that your UI benefits will be affected or terminated.
• Use only secure internet connections or virtual private networks (VPN).
• Keep computer devices updated and add anti-virus and anti-malware software.

      Employers should:

• Secure their UI account with a strong password and multi-factor authentication.
• Educate employees about identity theft and cybercrime.
• Verify requests for employee information.
• Review and monitor unemployment insurance claims information.
• Ensure their MiWAM account is accurate.

UIA’s aggressive anti-fraud measures

The reminders about how to protect personal information are part of the UIA’s continuing focus on fighting fraud as it transforms the agency into a national leader for fast, fair, and fraud-free service. UIA has been aggressive in launching new efforts to stop criminal activity, including:

• Appointing a Legal Advisor and creating the Legal and Compliance Bureau to leverage collaborative anti-fraud practices for pursuing bad actors.
• Launching the design and implementation of a new computer system to replace the aging MiWAM computer system. The new system, called MiUI, will include robust anti-fraud measures.
• Collaborating with the Michigan Attorney General’s office as well as local, state and federal law enforcement to bring bad actors to justice and combat fraud.
• Implementing new ethics and security clearance policies for employees and contractors.

Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020 and through the staunch efforts of the UIA’s Fraud and Investigative Division’s regulation agents, 166 individuals have been charged with fraud, 125 convicted, and 106 sentenced.

New ways to help workers, employers

Besides a commitment to fighting fraud, Director Dale is modernizing the UIA through improved customer service and new resources for workers and employers.

• The UIA Claimant Roadmap is an easy-to-follow, six-step guide to applying for and understanding benefits. It can be found at Michigan.gov/UIAClaimantRoadmap.
• The UIA Community Connect program provides hands-on expertise from staff in 10 regions across the state on navigating the unemployment insurance application process. They also connect workers or employers to resources within the UIA and provide outreach and education.
• Phone, virtual, or in-person appointment can be scheduled up to 14 days in advance at one of 12 Local Offices by going to Michigan.gov/UIA.

• Online Coaching Sessions are virtual group sessions led by UIA staff with information about filing a claim, understanding a monetary determination letter, how to appeal determinations, and work registration requirements.

• The UIA Economic Dashboard explores underlying trends in unemployment insurance in Michigan. The data provides a rich understanding of the impacts of unemployment across industries, occupations, and communities, and provides insights into which sectors are experiencing layoffs, claimant demographics, and the regions most affected. You can take a deep dive into the data at Michigan.gov/UIAEconomicDashboard.
• Six advocates have been added to the Advocacy Program, which provides free legal advice to workers and employers with appeals of UIA redeterminations.
• The Employer Help Center is a plain language guide that answers employers’ questions on unemployment tax and claim issues and UIA programs. The innovative Help Center can be found at Michigan.gov/UIAEmployerHelpCenter.
• A coalition of thought leaders from the labor, business, and jobless advocate communities make up the UIA Modernization Workgroup to provide insight on significant improvements in how the agency can better serve Michigan workers and employers.
• Renovated Local Offices create an improved user experience and make security upgrades. Projects have been completed in Grand Rapids, Lansing, Saginaw, and Sterling Heights. The Detroit office is scheduled to be renovated.

Need help or have questions about a claim?

Meet with an agent: Schedule an in-person, phone, or virtual meeting at Michigan.gov/UIA.

Chat with an agent through MiWAM: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Call Customer Service: 1-866-500-0017, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Ask Ava: Our chatbot at Michigan.gov/UIA can answer many questions.

Find answers: FAQs, videos, toolkits, and other resources at Michigan.gov/UIA.

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