PORTLAND, Ore. — Scammers are at it again — this time, targeting Paid Leave Oregon, a new program that officially launched at the beginning of September. Since then, tens of thousands of people have applied for benefits, but some are finding that fraudsters are attempting to open accounts with their information.
Paid Leave Oregon allows eligible Oregonians up to 12 weeks paid time off from work for family, medical or safety needs. For many, the program is a godsend — but that's only if they're able to receive the benefits.
KGW spoke with one new dad who said it's been a struggle to navigate the system, ever since he found out he was a victim of identity theft.
The program first launched on Sept. 3, just days before the birth of Geoff Jenks' daughter.
"My daughter was born on Sept. 14. She was due Sept. 7. We had always planned on taking leave, but I talked to colleagues in Washington, and they actually recommended not applying right away, waiting about a month. So that's what I did," he said.
But on the October day he was going to apply, he received a notice from the Oregon Employment Department.
"We received a letter saying that they needed more information for my claim — a claim I hadn't made."
Jenks got in touch with Paid Leave Oregon, and staff confirmed that he'd been a victim of fraud with someone filing in his name.
"They filed the fraud case, and they gave me a fraud confirmation number and told me that somebody would be in touch with me about next steps about how I could then file and how they could close the case," Jenks said.
But he said that investigation's still underway as of Dec. 1. After numerous phone calls with lengthy wait times and daily emails, answers remain unclear. In a state of limbo, he's concerned about whether he'll ever get his Paid Leave benefits.
"I've not even had the right to file yet because I'm waiting on the fraud case to close," he said. "I cannot imagine how many people are actually in the same boat."
The director of Paid Leave Oregon, Karen Humelbaugh, said in a press briefing mid-November that many Oregonians have received letters for paid leave claims they didn't file, although she could not share the exact number.
"Just like any benefits program, unfortunately, people try to commit fraud against the Paid Leave Oregon program. This includes people who are using stolen identities to file fraudulent claims," Humelbaugh said.
She explained there's been no data breach at the employment department or within the Paid Leave program, but they're actively working to prevent fraud and identify theft claims.
"The system is correctly flagging those and sending the person a letter to verify their identity," she said.
In a follow-up email this week, a spokesperson wrote: "It can take time to unravel the real person from the imposter, but we will do all we can to make sure benefits are available to people when they are needed."
Jenks hopes they'll follow through on this commitment in time for him and for his family.
"I would like to be able to recognize and use some of that leave," she said, "My wife was planning on ending her leave around the New Year because she was combining PTO, so my hope was to leave by then, so I could take some time off with my child."
According to Paid Leave Oregon, people can speed up their claim by doing the following:
- Applying 30 days in advance of their leave, if it is planned leave, and making sure you notify your employer
- Following their checklist and guidebook to make sure you have the correct documents uploaded: https://paidleave.oregon.gov/employees/employee-toolkit.html
- Using Frances Online to apply and also to communicate with them throughout the process
To report fraud, visit this webpage.