Butler officials are hoping no more city employees become victims of unemployment compensation claims fraudulently filed in their names.

Thirteen city employees have had unemployment claims filed in their names without their permission, joining hundreds of other people in the county who have been subject to fraudulent claims, officials said Tuesday.

The employees have been told to report the claims to police and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, which administers the unemployment compensation program, and to inform the city clerk after filing those reports. Reports to the Department of Labor can be made through its website or by calling the department at 800-692-7469.

Employees were told not to cash any unemployment compensation check and not to activate any unemployment compensation debit card for claims they did not apply for.

Information on how to return checks and debit cars is available on the Pennsylvania Treasury Department's website, www.patreasury.gov/uc-swif-ssp.

People who received a fraudulent direct deposit should contact their bank to request a “Refuse Credit of Deposit” and provide the financial institution with the issue date of the payment. Those unable to request a “Refuse Credit of Deposit” should write a personal check, cashier's check, certified check or money order payable to the “PA UC Fund” in an amount equal to the direct deposit payment.

People who received checks should write “VOID” on them and mail them to Pennsylvania Treasury Department, 651 Boas Street, Room 400, L&I Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120. U.S. Bank ReliaCard debit cards and returns of direct deposit payments should be mailed to the same address.

Those who return checks, debit cards and direct deposit payments should include a brief signed statement with the reason for the return, their printed name, address, phone number, email address and the last four digits of their Social Security number.

People can check their credit reports or freeze their credit on the Experian, TransUnion and Equifax websites.

The websites are www.experian.com, www.transunion.com and www.equifax.com.