Due to weather conditions the following Colorado Workforce Center locations will be closed and CDLE staff will telework today: 
Alamosa, Monte Vista, Salida, Trinidad, Cañon City and Pueblo.

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Report Fraud

Protect Yourself Against Fraud and Identity Theft

Here are some steps you can take to protect yourself against attempts to compromise your MyUI+ account and unemployment claim:

  • Be careful about requests by phone, text, or email to share personally identifiable information such as your Social Security number, bank account numbers, PIN numbers, or account passwords. Scammers try to obtain personal information in order to file fraudulent claims or compromise existing MyUI+ accounts.
  • Avoid clicking links in text messages. CDLE will never send you a text message with a link to log into your MyUI+ account. If you are unsure about any link asking you to log into your account, simply disregard the link and instead access your MyUI+ account from the official Unemployment Insurance website.
  • If you have filed an unemployment claim, verify that your address, phone number, email, and payment method are correct and have not been altered before completing each weekly certification.
  • Do not share your MyUI+ password with anyone.
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For Individuals

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You should submit a Report Unemployment Fraud form if:

  • You received a suspicious text message or email about your unemployment claim
  • You or someone else in your household has received a ReliaCard debit card or other correspondence but have not filed an unemployment claim
  • Your household has received a ReliaCard or other correspondence at your address but in the name of someone who does not live in your household
  • You believe your unemployment account/claim has been compromised
  • You know of someone collecting unemployment benefits while working

After reporting fraud, we recommend taking the following additional steps:

  • If you received a U.S. Bank ReliaCard debit card that you did not request, deactivate the card by following the instructions on the U.S. Bank ReliaCard page.
  • Contact the three consumer credit bureaus and put a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number (SSN).
  • Create a file where you can keep any records related to the fraud or identity theft in one place.
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FAQs for Individuals

What should I do if my identity was used to file a fraudulent claim? (received a Reliacard or mail from CDLE)

If you received unemployment paperwork but did not file a claim, or otherwise believe you are a victim of identity theft related to unemployment benefits, please submit a Report Unemployment Fraud form.

Additionally, there are several recommended steps to follow:

  • Follow the instructions on the U.S. Bank ReliaCard page, or contact U.S. Bank immediately at 1-855-282-6161. Tell them that a fraudulent unemployment claim was filed using your information, and ask them to deactivate the card.
     
  • Contact the three consumer credit bureaus and put a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number (SSN). It may be an automated system, so you may not talk to a live person and you will have to enter your SSN and date of birth.
               
                Credit Bureau Contact Info:
                Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
                Experian: 1-888-397-3742
                TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
     
I submitted a Report Unemployment Fraud form. What are some steps I can take in the meantime?
  • It is important to regularly review your credit reports from each of the three credit bureaus. Each will look different and may contain different information. If you discover any incorrect or fraudulent information on your credit report, you should dispute it with the credit bureau directly. Normally, you can receive one free copy of your credit report each year from each credit bureau. Due to increased fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic, each of the three credit bureaus is offering free weekly credit reports via Annual Credit Report.com.
     
  • You can also report identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission at Identity Theft.gov
     
  • Lastly, create a file where you can keep any records relating to this identity theft in one central place, in case you are notified of other fraud or breaches of your personal information.
     
Are there any other resources to help me recover from identity theft?
  • It is important to regularly review your credit reports from each of the three credit bureaus. Each will look different and may contain different information. If you discover any incorrect or fraudulent information on your credit report, you should dispute it with the credit bureau directly. Normally, you can receive one free copy of your credit report each year from each credit bureau. Due to increased fraud and identity theft during the COVID-19 pandemic, each of the three credit bureaus is offering free weekly credit reports via Annual Credit Report.com
     
  • You can also report identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission at Identity Theft.gov. The FTC's website includes valuable resources about how to recover from identity theft and protect your identity.
     
  • Lastly, create a file where you can keep any records relating to this identity theft in one central place, in case you are notified of other fraud or breaches of your personal information.
     
  • The FTC's website includes valuable resources about how to recover from identity theft and protect your identity.
     
  • Visit the Stop Fraud Colorado website.
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For Employers

When a claim is filed in using the identity of one of your employees, you receive either a SIDES or fact-finding request from the UI Division for information about the job separation. If you receive request about an employee who has not worked for you in 20 months or more, or someone who has never worked for you, you should:

  • Respond to the request in a timely manner
  • Indicate the claim is fraudulent in your response
  • Submit an online fraud report to CDLE
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FAQs for Employers

Was there a CDLE data breach? 

No, there has been no data breach. Like other states, Colorado continues to see increased unemployment fraud activity. Many Colorado employers are noticing fraudulent unemployment claims being filed in the names of active employees or for people who never worked for them. Fraud within Unemployment Insurance programs nationally has become rampant during the Pandemic. 

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment was one of the first agencies to begin an aggressive fraud detection and prevention program when this issue began to present itself. To date, CDLE has stopped over 800,000 fraudulent claims, and has likely prevented over $7 billion in fraudulent payments. These sophisticated criminal rings use Personally Identifiable information, including social security numbers, to file claims on behalf of unsuspecting victims. The sheer volume of this identity theft is likely the result of one or several data breaches that have occurred over the past few years, which compromised hundreds of millions of identities. 

If you receive unemployment paperwork on an active employee, we recommend that you notify that employee that they are likely a victim of identity theft and should take immediate precautions. While unemployment is relatively harmless to the victim’s credit, these criminals could make other transactions using these identities, which has the potential to cause irreparable damage to the victim’s credit. 

Where do I report Identity Theft?

As an employer, you can report suspected identity theft on our Unemployment Identity Theft Form for Employers.
Report Identity Theft for Employers

Your employees should also report on the Unemployment Identity Theft Form for Individuals.
Report Identity Theft for Individuals

What happens after I submit a report? 

After completing the “Identity Theft Report”, we will hold payment from being issued on the claim, pending investigation. However, you may continue to receive paperwork that’s automatically generated. Rest assured, the report was received, and the claim is under investigation. We understand how unsettling this experience can be. We take any fraud seriously and work daily with law enforcement and other agencies to investigate and prosecute this behavior. If you haven’t yet, we encourage you to review our tips on protecting yourself against fraud.

Will my premiums be impacted by fraudulent claims? 

If any benefits were paid that would charge against your account prior to the claim being closed as a fraudulent claim, once the claim was closed for the fraudulent activity, your account is credited for any benefits that might have been paid. As such, payment of any of those benefits will not impact your experience rating when your premium rates are calculated.

Do I need to appeal these claims and benefit charges? 

If you are certain the claim is fraudulent, please complete the Identity Theft Report. Additionally, if you receive a factfinding request from the Division on such a claim, please also respond to that request indicating that you have reported the claim as fraudulent. Responding to this factfinding will ensure that your appeal rights are preserved in the event the claim is later determined to be legitimate. Similarly, if you receive a Notice of Determination on such a claim and you disagree with it, you should file an appeal. If your reason for disagreement is that you believe the claim is fraudulent, you should state this in your appeal.

What do I do with a job separation request for an employee still on payroll? 

When a claim is filed using the stolen identity of one of your employees, you receive a fact-finding questionnaire by email or U.S. mail requesting information about the job separation. If that employee still works for you, please complete that questionnaire and indicate that the claim is fraudulent (in MyUI Employer or the paper form you may have received). Please also file an Identity Theft Report on our website. Employees who are the victim of unemployment ID Theft should also submit an ID Theft Report online. They should visit the Unemployment Insurance website and click the “Report ID Theft” button, then the “I'm an Individual Reporting Identity Theft” button. Our website also outlines other important steps that employees who are victims of UI fraud should take.

Special instructions for SIDES employer users:

For SIDES users, please complete the Identity Theft report on the CDLE website and also still respond to the questionnaire within the SIDES program. We are working on a method for one central reporting location and will update that in the near future. Visit the Respond to Job Separation page for more information about SIDES.

Is the form to report identity theft secure? 

The Employer Identity Theft reporting form uses a system called FormAssembly. FormAssembly keeps up with the latest protocols to ensure security per the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Cybersecurity Framework. FormAssembly uses TLS 1.2 to ensure data is transmitted securely.

All Personal Identifying information (PII), specifically SSNs are marked as sensitive data to further protect the data within the system. Additionally, reCAPTCHA is used to prevent spam submissions to the form. We follow State protocols for purging, storing, and accessing SSNs.

Is CDLE sending out Social Security Numbers? How do I report fraud without a full SSN?

Our employer correspondence masks an employee’s full SSN, showing the last 4 numbers. If you are reporting fraud for someone who never worked for you, please use this format for the SSN on the fraud reporting form: 00000 (then add the last four digits on the questionnaire form).

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Fraud Prosecutions

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2024 Quarterly Prosecutions

1st Quarter 2024 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

CDLE had a total of 14 criminal cases that closed during the 1st quarter of 2024. 
The total amount of restitution ordered by the courts was $195,545.55.

2nd Quarter 2024 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

CDLE had a total of 10 criminal cases that closed during the 2nd quarter of 2024. 
The total amount of restitution ordered by the courts was $342,887.98.

3rd Quarter 2024 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

CDLE had a total of 18 criminal cases that closed during the 3rd quarter of 2024. 
The total amount of restitution ordered by the courts was $423,667.27.

2023 Quarterly Prosecutions

1st Quarter 2023 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

13 cases closed, in which $190,573.61 was ordered in restitution for the CDLE.

2nd Quarter 2023 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

18 cases closed, in which $213,581.82 was ordered in restitution for the CDLE.

 

2022 Quarterly Prosecutions

1st Quarter 2022 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

Total restitution ordered: $99,346.62
 

January 2022
Tobias Dixson (El Paso County)
Augusta Williams (Denver County)
Eli Pacheco (Jefferson County)

February 2022
Lena Davis (Garfield County)

March 2022
Russell Stanley (Douglas County)

2nd Quarter 2022 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

Total restitution ordered: $115,110.84
 

April 2022
James Emerick (Jefferson County)

May 2022
Carrie Visentin (El Paso County)
Martin Aguilar-Romero (Arapahoe County)
Joseph Elias (Douglas County)
Tammy Estrada (Pueblo County)

June 2022
Ryan Glazier (Denver County)

3rd Quarter 2022 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

Total restitution ordered: $117,470.89
 

July 2022
Anthony Zaghab (CDLE/US ATTORNEY'S OFFICE)

August 2022
Floyd Maestas (Pueblo County)
Christopher Tarango (Denver County)
Larry Freeman (Denver County)

September 2022
Sayra Bassett (Pueblo County)
David Stengel (Pueblo County)
Stephanie Mendenhall (CDLE/DOJ)
Anthony Dunning (Denver County)

4th Quarter 2022 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

COLORADO STATE LABOR DEPARTMENT HAD A TOTAL OF 12 CASES THAT CLOSED DURING THE 4TH QUARTER OF 2022. THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF RESTITUTION ORDERED BY THE COURTS WAS $138,671.78.

October 2022
Tim Ortiz (Larimer County)
Jonathan Baker (Jefferson County)
Larry Talbert (Mesa County)
Laura Moats (Jefferson County)

November 2022
Michael Delavallade (Boulder County)
Jennifer Olsen (Denver County)
Robert Deremer (Jefferson County)
Cami Ricci (Jefferson County)

December 2022
Christina Witherspoon (Arapahoe County)
Brandon Collins (Adams County)
James Bell (Mesa County)
Randall Curkovich (El Paso County)

2021 Quarterly Prosecutions

1st Quarter 2021 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

Total restitution ordered: $206,923.04


January 2021
Nadine Miller (El Paso County)
Jennifer Schneider (El Paso County)
Bobbie Whitaker (Arapahoe County)
Amanda Aguilar (El Paso County)
Reginald Duncan (Denver County)
 
February 2021
Johnny Martinez, Jr. (Pueblo County)
Marleen Puzak (Fremont County)
 
March 2021
Cody Futch (Logan County)
Jose Neri (Arapahoe County)
Jerry Gonzales, Jr. (Adams County)
2nd Quarter 2021 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

Total restitution ordered: $166,317.95

 
April 2021
Tyrone Coe (El Paso County)
Noel Casillas (Denver County)
 
May 2021
Artiesha Davis (El Paso County)
 
June 2021
Lorena Aguon (Arapahoe County)
Wayne Roe (El Paso County)
Jennifer Hall (El Paso County)
Nicholas Gilmore (Adams County)
3rd Quarter 2021 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

Total restitution ordered: $31,729.35

 
August 2021
April Cordova (Rio Grande County)
 
September 2021
Dallas Cook (El Paso County)
4th Quarter 2021 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

Total restitution ordered: $22,079.61

 
December 2021
Alvin D. Esnault III (Denver County)
 
September 2021
Kimberly S. Esnault (Denver County)

2020 Quarterly Prosecutions

1st Quarter 2020 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

Total restitution ordered: $193,649.22

 
January 2020
Crystal Hayes (Adams County)
Monica Gant (Denver County)
Rainer Thomas (Arapahoe County)
Vanessa Marquez (Adams County)
Kevin Hahn (Boulder County)
Vance Holliday, Jr. (Adams County)
Heidi Hoffman-Wall (Arapahoe County)
 
February 2020
Marie Chusid (Jefferson County)
Susie Hernandez (Denver County)
Martin Molina-Cano (Adams County)
Anthony Castro, Sr. (Adams County)
 
March 2020
Gerry Cordova (Adams County)
Eric Garner (Arapahoe County)
James Bird (Adams County)
Marr Doss (Arapahoe County)
Catherina Vigil(Arapahoe County)
2nd Quarter 2020 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

Total restitution ordered: $95,264.80

 
April 2020
John Denham (Arapahoe County)
Donald J. Martinez (Denver County)
Alicia Torres (El Paso County
 
May 2020 
Darcel Williams-Rodriguez (Arapahoe County)
Ashley Leising (Jefferson County)
 
June 2020
Ashley Leising (Arapahoe County)
Kristen Miller (Arapahoe County)
Lisa Robbins (Eagle County)
3rd Quarter 2020 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

Total restitution ordered: $182,740.36

 
July 2020
Christina Stillwell (Larimer County)
Justin Helmick (Weld County) 
 
August 2020
Jorge Perez-Burciaga    (Adams County)
 
September 2020
Robert Tiller (Denver County)
Marcial Batres (Weld County)
Allan Aguilar (Jefferson County)
Nicholas Doheman (El Paso County)
Rudy Gallegos Jr. (Weld County)
Stephanie Hurtado (Arapahoe County)
Rosemary Vargas Blanco (Eagle County)
Vincent Gonzales (Pueblo County)
Todd Allen (Arapahoe County)
Phillip Rowland (Weld County)
4th Quarter 2020 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

Total restitution ordered: $129,724.36


October 2020
Maria Sanchez (Adams County)
Michael Lucero, Jr. (Pueblo County)
Alberto Martienz (Weld County)
Frances Bender (El Paso County)
Elisa Lopez (Jefferson County)
Nordell Yazzie (Adams County)
Jasmine Martinez (Pueblo County)
 
November 2020
Russell Mowday (Arapahoe County)
Melissa Lambert (El Paso County)
James Ivory (Pueblo County)
Aniseto Mesake (Arapahoe County)
 
December 2020
Stacy Maupin (Douglas  County)

2019 Quarterly Prosecutions

1st Quarter 2019 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

Total restitution ordered: $162,985.40

January 2019

Matthew Brown (Larimer County)
Matthew Sullivan (Arapahoe County)                    

 

February 2019

Ernie Martiniez (Weld County)  
Matthew Brown (Weld County)
Raul Vigil (Adams County)

 

March 2019  

Brandon Vester (Delta County)
Shane Marks (Denver County)
John Broom (Douglas County)
Isidro Moralez (Pueblo County)
Damian Sifuentez (Weld County)

2nd Quarter 2019 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

Total restitution ordered: $160,268.59.


April 2019

Jeffrey Tunley (Arapahoe County)
Joe Morales (Weld County)
Cala Martinez (Arapahoe County)
Larnell Holt (Denver County)
Sergio Ahumada (Adams County)
Charitie Bridges (Adams County)      
Peggy Henry (Larimer County)

 

May 2019

Kenneth Quenzer (Weld County)  
Kalandra Woolboy (Denver County)

 

June 2019  

Christopher Parker (Weld County)
Glenn Jackson, Jr. (Arapahoe County)
Latisha Vaughns (Arapahoe County)
Jeffrey Bastian (Denver County)
Kris Cambria Link  (Douglas County)
Angelica Montes (Arapahoe County)

3rd Quarter 2019 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

Total restitution ordered: $400,237.86


July  2019

Jason Sisneros (Alamosa County)
Terry Boo (Montezuma County)
Jason Carpenter (El Paso County)
Gerald Salinas Pueblo  County)
Michael Brumfield (Denver  County)
Roxanne Velasquez (Arapahoe  County)
Joshua Lewis (Denver  County)

 

August 2019

William Ruth (Fremont  County)  
Matthew West (El Paso County) 
Carly Tan (Adams  County)
Roque Elizondo (Las Animas  County)
Vanessa Achambeault (Douglas  County)
Jennel Anderson (Arapahoe  County)

 

September 2019  

Gunther Boldt (Garfield  County)
Tamarin Sessom (Douglas  County)
Anthony Curlyhair, Jr.  (Montezuma  County)
Jorge Centeno (Boulder  County)
Katrina Ptak (Douglas  County)
Julio Garcia (Arapahoe  County)
Andrew Sweet (Jefferson  County)
Elizabeth Williams (Attorney General's Office)
Michelle Hernandez (Attorney General's Office)

4th Quarter 2019 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

Total restitution ordered: $280,428.92

October  2019
Manuel Cabello, Jr.  (Jefferson County)
Dwight Evans  (Boulder  County)
Javier Saucedo-Casillas (Denver  County)
Trina Everhart (Arapahoe  County)
Roderick Malone (El Paso  County)
Tajh Nobles (Jefferson  County)
Aaron Arellano (Denver  County)
Anthony Chavez (Adams  County)
Nicholas Black (Jefferson  County)

 

November 2019
Terry Taleck (Boulder  County)
Joseph Herrera (Jefferson  County) 
Peter Rapp (Denver  County)
Christopher Coleman (Denver  County)
Natosha Robinson (Denver  County)
Randolfo Chavez Rios (Larimer  County)

  

December 2019  
Bobby Curry (Adams  County)
Gerald Muhammad (Arapahoe  County)
Anthony Vasquez (Adams  County)
Nicholas Dorn (Arapahoe  County)

2018 Quarterly Prosecutions

3rd Quarter 2018 Unemployment Fraud Prosecutions

Total restitution ordered:$221,616.37

July 2018
Thomas Doremus (Mesa County)
Scott Young Sr. (Weld County)
Starlet Cooper (El Paso County)
William Watson (Denver County)
Cheryl Jones (Arapahoe County)

August 2018
Jason Brown (Denver County)
Juan Espinoza-Cabrera (Arapahoe County)
Nicola Olson (Larimer County)
Shantell Carmona (Denver County)
Meadoe Croker (Mesa County)
Yuliyanna Maksymenko (Arapahoe County)

September 2018
Ashley Knobbs (Denver County)
Jordan Davis(Denver County)
Jesse Hanson (El Paso County)

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