BALTIMORE, MD—The number of Maryland households unable to afford the basics grew by more than 70,000 during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 899,798 households, or 38 percent of Marylanders, struggled to afford the basics as of 2021, according to a new report from United Way of Maryland and its research partner, United For ALICE. […]
BALTIMORE, MD—The Office of the Attorney General is warning residents of a scheme in which fraudsters are impersonating the Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Unemployment Insurance in text messages. To remain protected from fraud, residents should access the BEACON claimant portal by visiting https://beacon.labor.maryland.gov/beacon/claimant-page.html directly, or by using the MD Unemployment for Claimants mobile app. Anyone who receives a […]
BALTIMORE, MD—The Maryland Department of Labor is warning residents of an unemployment scam that is circulating. The scam targets unemployment insurance claimants via text message. The message reads: “BEACON Labor: This is notify you that your Maryland insurance claim account is currently on hold for verification, Please complete your verification by following the instruction link below…to reactivate your account.” Anyone […]
BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Department of Labor Secretary Tiffany P. Robinson has announced that unemployment insurance claimants can now log into their BEACON 2.0 portal or mobile app to select direct deposit or paper check as their preferred benefit payment method. The transition from Bank of America debit cards to direct deposit comes as a result of a new contract with Wells […]
NOTTINGHAM, MD—The Maryland Department of State Police and the Maryland Department of Labor are warning the public of an increase in unemployment insurance related fraud cases and other scams being reported in the region. In recent months, investigators have been contacted regarding a wide variety of schemes targeting individuals, vulnerable populations, charities and local, state and national government agencies. Most […]
ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan on Tuesday announced that the Maryland Department of Labor has begun accepting claims and issuing payments for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Pandemic Unemployment Emergency Compensation (PEUC), Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), and Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC) federal unemployment insurance programs extended by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. There will be no gap […]
BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Department of Labor Secretary Tiffany P. Robinson on Tuesday announced that Maryland’s unemployment insurance claimants will begin receiving their benefit payments via direct deposit beginning in April. The transition from Bank of America debit cards to direct deposit comes as a result of a new contract with Wells Fargo. “Maryland’s unemployment insurance claimants will begin receiving their benefit […]
BALTIMORE, MD—The Maryland Department of Labor on Thursday provided an update on the department’s ongoing unemployment insurance fraud detection, prevention, and investigation efforts. With the record number of unemployment insurance claims filed and the additional federal benefits available during the COVID-19 pandemic, states across the nation have continued to see bad actors and fraudsters using illegally obtained data to file […]