Case docket
National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force — 2021 fraud alerts
DOL OIG Pandemic Fraud — 3 court filings in the archive from DOL Office of Inspector General / National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force (NUIFTF), filed between January 29, 2021 and March 4, 2021.
Case facts
| Court | DOL Office of Inspector General / National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force (NUIFTF) |
|---|---|
| Filings | 3 public filings |
| Filed | 2021-01-29 – 2021-03-04 |
| Original PDFs | 3 of 3 |
Case summary
This page collects three public fraud alerts issued by the National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force between January 29 and March 4, 2021. Each alert names the task force as the Department of Justice's, and each directs information about unemployment insurance fraud to the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General hotline. The January 29, 2021 alert warns of a text message phishing scheme in which senders presenting as a state workforce agency send a link intended to obtain sensitive information. The February 26, 2021 alert concerns erroneous Forms 1099-G issued by state workforce agencies as a result of fraudulent claims. The March 4, 2021 alert warns of websites that mimic government unemployment insurance benefit sites and of spam messages purporting to come from state workforce agencies.
Case at a glance
| Parties | Issuing body: the National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force, described in all three documents as the Department of Justice's task force; the alerts are addressed to the public and to state workforce agencies |
|---|---|
| Court and docket | Agency documents, no docket. The archive's Case facts row attributes the three alerts to the DOL Office of Inspector General / National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force |
| Program | State unemployment insurance benefits, including the benefits provided in response to the economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic |
| Claims | Not applicable. These are public fraud alerts, not pleadings |
| Disposition or status | Advisory. The January 2021 alert states that law enforcement officials are investigating the phishing scheme; the February 2021 alert states that the task force is investigating numerous fraud schemes targeting state workforce agencies' unemployment insurance programs |
| Status checked | 2026-09-23 · against DOJ press releases through 2026-09-22; court docket not yet read |
What do the alerts warn about?
Phishing by text message and email, fraudulent websites that copy state workforce agency benefit sites, and erroneous tax forms. The January and March alerts state that state workforce agencies do not send text messages soliciting information and that people should not click links in messages claiming to come from them.
Why were erroneous Forms 1099-G issued?
Because unemployment benefits are taxable and state workforce agencies report them to recipients and to the Internal Revenue Service. The February 26, 2021 alert states that, because of widespread fraud much of it involving identity theft, Americans may receive a Form 1099-G indicating they collected benefits when they did not, or may learn later that their identity was used to file a claim.
Who is said to be behind the schemes?
The February 26, 2021 alert states that fraudsters, some of them transnational criminal organisations, have used stolen identities to file fraudulent claims for unemployment insurance benefits.
Summary written from the documents on this page; every sentence is sourced.
Filings
3 public filings from this case, in filing-date order.
Court, dates and docket numbers are as recorded on the filings.