Notice of Fraudulent Unemployment Claims Exploiting COVID-19 Pandemic

Multiple federal and state agencies are reporting an increase in fraudulent unemployment claims exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically of public sector employees. Within the UMass system, there have been several cases where unemployment claims have been fraudulently submitted to the state Department of Unemployment Assistance by unknown individuals posing as university employees.

As the university is not able to file for unemployment on employees’ behalf, if an employee receives information (either via U.S. Mail or email) related to the filing of an unemployment claim that they did not submit, they should contact both offices below:

• The Office of Human Resources by email at askhr@umass.edu
   
• The Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance by email at DUA-verify@mass.gov and by phone at 877-626-6800. Unemployment fraud can be reported online at: www.mass.gov/forms/report-unemployment-insurance-fraud-online

Lastly, if employees receive claim information that they did not submit which contains their social security number, please also visit the Federal Trade Commission website, to learn more about how to protect your personal information, including a review of different monitoring options.