The Labor Cabinet, Office of Unemployment Insurance along with the Commonwealth Office of Technology suspect criminal individuals or enterprises have attempted to gain unauthorized access to UI customer data. Using known or predictable user information like social security numbers, bad actors used automated tools to attempt to gain unauthorized access to claimant accounts. Although the UI PIN’s are encrypted it is possible for a person with enough computing power to guess an encrypted PIN by testing particularly weak or obvious four digit combinations.
To enhance security we will be shutting down the UI system tonight.
All public facing UI systems will be down four days starting 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
- We will be able to backdate any new claims that should have been filed during the shut down
We will be mailing letters to active UI claimants starting tomorrow giving them a new 8 digit PIN to access their accounts.
- 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 email address and receive access code through their email account
- Use the new 8 digit PIN they were mailed in the letter
- The telephone claiming system/IVR (interactive voice response) will use the new 8 digit PIN
- Review all the information on their account to make sure it is correct
- If the last four digits of the bank account or routing number is not their account claimants will receive a paper check
- Active claimants do not need to file a new claim when the system is back up
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is committed to protecting your privacy. Although the Office of Unemployment Insurance is still investigating whether your data may have been compromised, in an abundance of caution, we want to provide you with additional information below to help protect your financial and other personal records.
Obtain a copy of your free credit report. You may also obtain a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus once every 12 months by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com, calling toll-free (877) 322-8228, or by completing an Annual Credit Report Request Form and mailing it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, Georgia 30348. You may purchase a copy of your credit report by contacting one of the three major credit reporting bureaus above.
Monitor your credit reports and account statements. Even if you do not find any suspicious activity on your initial credit reports, we recommend that you remain vigilant and review your account statements and credit reports closely. Doing so can help you spot problems and address them quickly. If you detect any suspicious activity on an account, you should promptly notify the financial institution or company with which the account is maintained. We also recommend that you place a fraud alert on your credit report. A fraud alert is free of charge and easy to place. You may contact toll-free any one of the three major credit bureaus listed below. As soon as one bureau confirms your report, the others are simultaneously notified on your behalf.
Equifax, PO Box 740256, Atlanta, GA 30374, www.equifax.com, (888) 766-0008
Experian, PO Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013, www.experian.com, (888) 397-3742
TransUnion, PO Box 2000, Chester, PA 19022-2000, www.transunion.com, (800) 680-7289
You should also promptly report any fraudulent activity or any suspected incidents of identity theft to the appropriate law enforcement authorities, your state attorney general, and/or the FTC.
Additional Resources. You can find additional information to help protect yourself from identity theft, including information about fraud alerts and security freezes, by contacting one of the three major credit bureaus listed above, or by visiting the FTC’s website at www.ftc.gov/idtheft, by calling 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338), or by writing to the Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20580.