Current Events > Trying to get unemployment in Arizona is bullshit.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Apparently they changed their shit on Super Bowl day, so maybe you didn't have to do this shit before, and I'm just unlucky to be doing it now.

Go to their website. They ask for SSN and some other details, like if I had military service, worked in another state, etc.

But then they need me to go to some third-party site called id.me and sign up. It wants me to give it my phone number.

So I stop there, feeling uncomfortable with that.

But a day later, I figure, "There's probably no other way I can get UI, so let's give it a try."

I go through it, dealing with the phone number stuff.

It wants me to upload photos of my ID.

I stop again, feeling uncomfortable with that.

Next day, I try calling to apply for unemployment. There's an automated voice directing me to where to apply. When I get a representative, they tell me you can't apply over the phone.

Day after, I go back to id.me and decide to finally upload photos of my ID.

Then I see, "It's time to take a selfie!"

No. Are you fucking kidding me? What is this bullshit. Why the fucking hell would I have to take a selfie? I'm on my PC anyway! Does this stupid fucking company not realize not everyone is using their fucking smartphone?

So next day, I try calling in to apply again. And this time, I make sure to listen closely, and I do. The automated message definitely says you can apply over the phone. But that's not the case. When I get a representative, they tell me that they changed that on Super Bowl day, coincidentally, and you can't apply over the phone anymore.

Next day, I decide to go down to DES myself. They tell me I can't apply for unemployment in person. It has to be done over the computer. I feel like telling them, "No, it seems you can't even do that apparently, it seems you have to do it over the phone."

Today, I decide to give it a shot over the phone. I go back to the stupid unemployment website and get directed to id.me, and figure I'll end up having to take a selfie.

I upload photos of my ID again.

Prepare to have to "take a selfie! =D =D"

I see, "Take a video selfie with my device.
Enter a mobile phone number, and we'll text you a link to take a video selfie.
Your mobile phone must have a camera and a web browser."

A fucking video "selfie"?! Are you fucking kidding me!? As if photos of my ID wasn't bad enough... The idea of asking for a goddamned selfie of all fucking things is downright idiotic, but to make it even more fucking stupid by asking for a video "selfie"!? It has to be fucking video!? Every fucking time I try to acquiesce to this stupid fucking company's demands, it ends up getting worse. Like a creep over webcam that keeps asking someone to take more and more clothes off. The demands just keep getting worse and more ridiculous. I feel half-tempted to just to a video tour of my apartment while naked and showing them every detail of my personal life, showing how messy my bathroom and room is, narrating about personal details and secrets about myself that nobody else knows, and of course, giving them an angle of my face, as well as my whole naked body, because apparently this company just keeps needing more and more.

This whole process has been absolute fucking bullshit. What the goddamn fuck.

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I live in AZ and they had a lot of issues with fraud for pandemic unemployment insurance. They're probably being extra careful now and put a lot of security measures in place.

What? Its overly difficult to get unemployment in a Red State? You dont say.
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that's everywhere. California asked me that too. They are just trying to crack down on fraud. Giving your phone number, SSN and photo of yourself to the government is not going to ruin you dude.

The government already has access to your SSN, photo of you, your number and probably more things than we can imagine already.

if you are paranoid about this, then you have other problems, likely legal. I don't know what to tell you man.


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Arcanine2009 posted...

that's everywhere. California asked me that too. They are just trying to crack down on fraud. Giving your phone number, SSN and photo of yourself to the government is not going to ruin you dude.

The government already has access to your SSN, photo of you, your number and probably more things than we can imagine already.

if you are paranoid about this, then you have other problems, likely legal. I don't know what to tell you man.

This

I was able to get PUA a few mi ths ago and it was a pain in the ass sometimes but it worked out.

Arcanine2009 posted...

that's everywhere. California asked me that too. They are just trying to crack down on fraud. Giving your phone number, SSN and photo of yourself to the government is not going to ruin you dude.

The government already has access to your SSN, photo of you, your number and probably more things than we can imagine already.

if you are paranoid about this, then you have other problems, likely legal. I don't know what to tell you man.

I think you missed the part where it's being delivered to the government through a third-party.

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GirTheRobot posted...

I live in AZ and they had a lot of issues with fraud for pandemic unemployment insurance. They're probably being extra careful now and put a lot of security measures in place.

love me some safety measures that involve uploading extremely sensitive info on a shady third party private online service

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AZ was notoriously shitty about unemployment even before the pandemic. They'll do anything they can to prevent folks from getting it.