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On occasion the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) receives notification of potential scams aimed at Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants and their current or former employers.
This page contains alerts for known scams related to collecting unemployment benefits in an effort to protect claimants and employers and their personal information.
Beware of solicitations from debt relief services offering to negotiate a reduction on an unemployment overpayment debt for a small fee. WI Unemployment Insurance (UI) does not employ outside debt relief or debt collection services. Unemployment overpayments and penalties cannot be settled for a lesser amount.
Please call 608-266-9701 to speak to a WI UI Collections Specialist if you have any questions about your debt repayment options and to make payment arrangements. If you are unable to pay the full amount, the collections specialist will be able to assist with various payment options available to you.
Be aware of phishing web sites. You may receive links to these sites via text, email, or via a web search. Scammers trick you into signing into their site using familiar DWD web pages to steal your personal information. Official messages from DWD provide the my.unemployment.wisconsin.gov web address.
We have received numerous reports of phishing text scams. The web address changes frequently, but the message is typically similar to: "Due to numbers of fraudulent claims we request you to verify your Wisconsin UI identity here on FAKE WEB ADDRESS HERE to prevent your Account being locked. Wisconsin Unemployment Insurance." If you have opted in to receive text messages from the department and you're not sure if something is legitimate, log into your Claimant Portal to see if you've really received a message.
View this fake text message that states UI has funded your claim account and to click a link to process it. If you have opted in to receive text messages from the department and you're not sure if something is legitimate, log into your Claimant Portal to see if you've really received a message. If benefit payments have been made, you can see those on the Claimant Portal. You are not required to click a link to process your payments.