Monday, May 11, 2009

TWC Cautions UI Claimants to Beware of Fee-for-Filing Scams

AUSTIN - The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) warns Unemployment Insurance
(UI) claimants to be aware of unscrupulous business operators who may try to
charge a fee to file unemployment claims. Filing for benefits through TWC is
and always has been free.

Claimants who sign on for so-called fee-for-filing scams could later
discover unemployment claims were never filed on their behalf. They also may
have given their Social Security numbers to someone they thought was a TWC
employee.

Claimants may receive UI information online through www.texasworkforce.org
or by using the e-mail form found on the Web site.

TWC wants to ensure that no one is taken advantage of by someone posing as a
TWC staff member or by unscrupulous business operators, particularly UI
claimants who need every bit of their benefits during this difficult
economic time.

UI claimants also are reminded that TWC unemployment staff never perform
home visits. Claimants should only give personal information when filing for
benefits online at www.texasworkforce.org or on the UI Tele-Center phone
filing system.

Do not pay for a government service that is free.

The UI program, funded through employer taxes, provides temporary,
partial-income replacement to workers who have lost their jobs through no
fault of their own. TWC administers and oversees the collection of taxes
from employers and the payment of UI benefits to qualified claimants.
To report possible fraud, call the TWC Fraud and Program Abuse Hotline at
(800) 252-3642.

The Texas Workforce Commission is a state agency dedicated to helping Texas
employers, workers and communities prosper economically. For details on TWC
and the programs it offers in unison with its network of local workforce
development boards, call (512) 463-8556 or visit www.texasworkforce.org.
Texas Workforce Commission . 512-463-8942 . http://www.texasworkforce.org .
Equal Opportunity Employer Relay Texas . 1-800-735-2989 (TDD) .
1-800-735-2988 (Voice)

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