The New York State Department of Labor says they have prevented more than $1 billion in fraud related to the coronavirus pandemic.

The department says they identified and stopped more than 42,200 fraudulent unemployment benefit claims since mid-March. In the last five months, DOL has referred more unemployment fraud cases to federal prosecutors than the department did in the last 10 years combined, officials said.

Fraudsters are using real New Yorkers’ identities — likely stolen during previous data breaches involving institutions like banks, insurance companies, and major employers — to file fraudulent claims and illegally collect benefits in the name of individuals who are not unemployed, DOL said.

“Unemployment insurance fraud rings often target New Yorkers who are employed and not collecting unemployment benefits because those individuals are less likely to have an active claim that would prevent the criminals from filing a fraudulent claim. Employees working in healthcare, education, government, and non-profits have been particularly impacted and should remain especially vigilant,” DOL said in a news release.

The DOL urges anyone who has received an official communication about unemployment benefits — like a monetary determination letter — but did not apply for unemployment benefits, to immediately report it to the DOL at on.ny.gov/uifraud .

Those impacted should also take steps to proactively protect themselves from identity theft, including those highlighted by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at IdentityTheft.gov, such as:

• Changing passwords, logins, and pins for online accounts, especially banks;

• Placing a free fraud alert on their accounts with the three credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax);

• Getting a free credit report from com;

• Reporting the identity theft to the FTC;

• Filing a report with their local police department, if they wish; and

• Reporting a misused Social Security number.