FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — The state is shutting down Kentucky's unemployment insurance system for four days as a result of recent fraudulent activity.
Amy Cubbage, General Counsel to Governor Andy Beshear, says stopping fraudulent claims and attempts to hack the system have taken time away from processing current claims. She says scammers have been using "computerized automated processes" to try and guess the personalized pins of customers.
"We had close to 4,000 users whose pins were 1234, had about 1,500 whose pins were 2020, 1,200 of them were set to 1111," said Cubbage. "When you got a pin like that, it's easy for a computer criminal to simply set up a program that allows you to try that pin across all of the accounts, so that's what we are seeing."
The state says the shutdown will make sure no one can gain unauthorized access to customer accounts.
All public facing UI systems will shut down for four days from April 9 at 12 a.m. EDT to April 13 at 12 a.m. EDT. Claimants will be unable to file new claims or request their benefits during this time, but UI staff will be able to backdate any new claims that should have been filed during the shutdown. Internal systems will remain operational so UI staff will still be working to process claims.
“If you have benefits to request and you have not been locked out of the system, you can access the system until tonight at midnight,” said Cubbage. “Letters are going out to active UI accounts giving them a new eight-digit PIN. Systems will be available on Tuesday to re-register or register for the first time through the new welcome pages at uiclaimsportal.ky.gov or through the KCC website.”
Claimants will need to:
- Create a new 12-digit password;
- Verify their email address and receive an access code through their email account;
- Use the new eight-digit PIN they were mailed;
- Know that the telephone claiming system (interactive voice response) will use the new eight-digit PIN; and
- Review all the information on their account to make sure it is correct.
If the last four digits of their bank account or routing number is not in their UI account, claimants will receive a paper check.