They charge a fee for unpaid benefits.

Ad: Unsolicited call from someone claiming to be a state unemployment / UIA “human resources manager” (sometimes with a fake employee number) saying the agency owes you about $4,000 — but you must pay a fee first (Michigan example: $105 from a 313-area-code call). Michigan UIA (Aug 20, 2026): the UIA does not charge a fee to release unemployment benefits to anyone who qualifies; there is also no cost to apply. Benefits go to a U.S. Bank debit card or by direct deposit into your own account — “You will never be asked by the UIA to pay a fee to access the money you were approved to receive.” Hang up. Verify at the agency’s published number (Michigan: 1-866-500-0017), not the callback in the message. ClickOnDetroit (Aug 24, 2026) restates the same $105 / ~$4,000 script. Distinct from Issue 15’s SSA maximize-for-a-fee pitch and Issue 13’s fake UI website / identity-theft 1099-G mail — this is the fee-to-release unpaid benefits phone script.

Ad: Automated / AI-sounding call saying about $4,000 in unclaimed unemployment insurance benefits is available, then pressing for Social Security number, bank details, or other PII. Michigan UIA (Aug 20, 2026) cites the Unemployment Insurance Integrity Center (U.S. Department of Labor): an artificial intelligence-driven fraudulent call operation targeted North Dakota residents with a ~$4,000 unclaimed-UI lure, then collected personally identifiable information. Same pattern flagged as multi-state. Hang up; do not give data; contact your real state workforce agency using a number from its official .gov site. Leave any “unclaimed” dollar blank if your state did not publish it — we only repeat the figures agencies attributed to the scam script. Distinct from Issue 13’s spam-text fake UI websites — this is the AI phone / PII harvest lane.

Ad: Any unexpected call, text, or email claiming to be your state unemployment agency that asks you to pay a fee, click a login link, or share SSN / bank / username. Michigan UIA (Aug 20, 2026): the UIA never randomly texts claimants or employers; it corresponds through the secure MiWAM account or by regular mail; do not click links in random UIA-looking emails; do not share personal information on a random call. Verify at 1-866-500-0017 (Michigan) or your state’s published hotline. Report fraud via the state’s UI fraud link (Michigan.gov/UIA) and ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Distinct from Issue 14’s IRS / $1,400 stimulus SMS and Issue 16’s Medicare SMS — this is state unemployment impersonation, not tax or Medicare.