International Fraud Awareness Week is Nov. 12-18, 2023
OKLAHOMA – During International Fraud Awareness Week this Nov. 12-18, the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) is sharing information on Oklahoma’s fraud protection and raising awareness of the importance of maintaining cautionary identity practices. With leading fraud prevention and detection techniques and implementation strategies, Oklahoma is a national model for fraud protection and self-identification.
“We’re proud to serve Oklahomans with the national standard of fraud prevention through aggressive, yet creative, techniques while ensuring equitable access to the programs we administer,” said Christopher O’Brien, director of UI compliance at OESC. “We encourage everyone to stay aware of the dangers of identity fraud, and to maintain safe practices in the digital world.”
With numerous fraud detection tactics, Oklahoma has the lowest false positive identification rate in the country and allows for a wide assortment of identity verification options. Several of Oklahoma’s fraud prevention techniques and strategies have been adopted by other states and championed by the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA).
Systems such as VerifyOK, Oklahoma’s customized digital identity verification system, help ensure the identity of Oklahoma’s workforce is secure. OESC has also partnered with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to offer more than 19,000 locations across the country, 283 of them in Oklahoma, for claimants to verify their identity, in addition to the usual options to verify online, at an OESC office or through live virtual ID proofing sessions.
The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission also works closely with dedicated law enforcement teams from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Attorney’s Office and various other national entities to investigate and prosecute bad actors in criminal and civil fraud cases.
“Online passwords and log-ins are highly sought after by bad actors participating in identity theft,” O’Brien said. “While protection of Social Security numbers and other identification methods is necessary, minimizing your digital footprint through limiting password sharing and duplication is critical to help secure personal information and reduce the likelihood of fraud.”
The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission remains committed to safeguarding the identities of those in our state’s workforce and providing secure access to essential programs and resources. For more information, visit oklahoma.gov/oesc.
