February 16, 2021

Agency performed additional fraud checks to stop identity thieves

LINCOLN – The Nebraska Department of Labor has issued 1099-G tax forms to unemployment claimants who received benefits in 2020. The forms are normally released in January, but the IRS granted the Department’s request for a 30-day delay while additional fraud checks were performed. Claimants can download the forms in NEworks.nebraska.gov

Unemployment fraud through identity theft has been prevalent nationwide throughout the pandemic. Any individual who received a 1099-G from NDOL, but did not file an unemployment claim, should report suspected fraud by emailing NDOL.1099fraud@nebraska.gov and filing a police report.

NDOL has hired additional staff for fraud prevention and detection, including income and identity verification.  A new federal requirement for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) is to verify self-employment and identity of claimants. Even if a claim was previously approved, each claimant will be asked to provide additional information.

Resources for reporting identity theft and fraud:

Internal Revenue Service: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/taxpayer-guide-to-identity-theft

Federal Trade Commission: https://www.identitytheft.gov

US Department of Justice: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form

NDOL news releases are available online at dol.nebraska.gov