If you don't take any action, heres what will likely happen: the scammers will get your benefits on their fake card, and when you finally get through to unemployment to report the issue, they'll freeze your account for investigation which can take 8-12 weeks to resolve. DONT WAIT, find a way to speak to a representative IMMEDIATELY.

This is definitely a scam - NY unemployment has exclusively used KeyBank debit cards for years and there's been no official announcement about switching providers. NetSpend is a legitimate company but they are NOT affiliated with NY Department of Labor. Since you selected direct deposit originally, it's especially suspicious that they're suddenly sending you a card instead. This suggests someone may have accessed your account and changed your payment method. Here's what you need to do RIGHT NOW: 1. Do NOT activate any NetSpend card that arrives 2. Check your unemployment account online to see if your payment method or contact info has been changed 3. File a fraud report at dol.ny.gov/report-fraud 4. Contact the FTC at identitytheft.gov to report identity theft 5. Consider placing a fraud alert on your credit reports Most importantly, you need to speak to a live person at DOL immediately to prevent your benefits from going to the scammers. The regular phone lines are impossible, but I've heard good things about services like claimyr.com that wait on hold for you and connect you when an agent picks up. For fraud cases, time is critical. Document everything - take photos of the letter and keep all correspondence. The sooner you report this, the better chance you have of protecting your benefits. Good luck!

Just wanted to add my experience - I had forfeit days last summer and was able to get them reduced by calling the 209 number. The key was having all my paperwork ready and being really clear about what happened. I got through on my third try (called early morning around 8:15am) and the rep was actually pretty helpful. She looked at my account and saw it was an honest mistake with reporting part-time work, so she reduced my forfeit from 6 weeks to 2 weeks right there. Definitely worth trying the phone first before going the formal appeal route, especially if it's just a reporting error.

I'm dealing with a similar forfeit penalty situation right now and this thread has been super helpful! One thing I wanted to add - when you do call (whether through the regular 209 number or using a service like Claimyr), make sure you have your determination notice number handy. The reps can pull up your case much faster if you give them that reference number right away. Also, I've found that being polite but persistent really helps - some reps are more willing to help than others, so if the first person you talk to seems unhelpful, it's worth trying again with someone else. The early morning call time tip sounds smart too - I'm going to try that approach tomorrow!

I'm going through this exact same situation right now - filed my claim 10 days ago after losing my restaurant job. The waiting and not knowing is honestly the worst part! Reading everyone's timelines here is really helpful. I've been doing my weekly certifications religiously (thanks for the Sunday alarm tip, definitely setting that up). One thing I wanted to add is that I called the NYS DOL office and they told me to check my online account regularly because sometimes they'll post messages there if they need additional information, rather than sending mail or email. Also learned that if you worked in multiple states in the past 18 months, that can sometimes delay things while they verify wages across state lines. Fingers crossed we all get through this process smoothly!

I'm in a similar boat - filed my claim 5 days ago after getting laid off from my customer service job. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful! It sounds like the 2-3 week timeline is pretty consistent as long as there aren't any complications. I made sure to set up direct deposit when I filed and have been doing my weekly certifications (that Sunday alarm suggestion is genius). One thing I'm curious about - for those who've gone through this, did you get any kind of confirmation or status update during those 2-3 weeks, or do you just have to wait until the money shows up? The uncertainty is definitely the hardest part when you're trying to figure out your budget for the next month.

Based on your $52k salary, you'll likely qualify for a decent weekly benefit amount. To give you a rough estimate - if your highest quarter was around $13k (which would be typical for that salary), you'd get about $500 per week, which is close to the maximum. The NYS Department of Labor calculator on their website can give you a more precise estimate if you know your quarterly earnings. Just make sure you have all your wage statements ready when you apply - it makes the process much smoother.

One thing to keep in mind is that the benefit duration is also capped - you can typically receive benefits for up to 26 weeks in NY, though this can sometimes be extended during periods of high unemployment. Also, you'll need to be actively searching for work and document your job search activities each week to continue receiving benefits. The NYS Department of Labor requires you to make at least 3 work search contacts per week and keep records of your applications, interviews, etc. It's worth setting up a system to track this from day one since they do audit claims periodically.

This whole system is so frustrating! Why don't they explain this stuff when you file for unemployment? I've been stressed about the same thing and now I find out I was worrying for nothing since I already have enough quarters.

I went through this exact worry when I was laid off from my construction job last year. Like others mentioned, you can create an account at ssa.gov and view your complete earnings history - it shows every year you worked and how much you earned. Since you've been working 35 years, you definitely have the 40 quarters needed. The unemployment gap won't hurt your eligibility at all, just might slightly reduce the final benefit amount since it's calculated on your highest earning years. Don't stress too much about it - you're in good shape for retirement!