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Cases of unemployment fraud are rampant across the country, as criminals use stolen information to fraudulently file for unemployment benefits across many states, including Ohio. The explosion in fraud cases comes as many Americans impacted by the pandemic, have legitimately filed for unemployment benefits due to loss of employment or a cutback in hours. The fraudulent claims, however, are utilizing the personal information of people who have not lost their jobs and have not filed for unemployment.

In this article, we’ll tell you how to know you’re a victim, how you should report it to authorities, and what you can do to protect your personal information from identity thieves moving forward.

Red Flag: How to Know You’re a Victim

The U.S. Department of Labor says most people aren’t even aware they’re victims of unemployment identify theft until they receive a notice in the mail related to unemployment benefits they didn’t receive. The IRS form 1099-G is a tax form used to report unemployment benefits received. Your employer may also receive a notice requesting information about an unemployment claim in your name, even though you haven’t received any benefits and remain fully employed.

What Should You Do?

The U.S. Department of Labor has guidance for anyone affected by this widespread fraud. The IRS also offers good guidance.

Employee:

1. Report the fraud to the state. The state will need to issue a corrected form 1099-G. Ohio and Michigan residents can use the links below:

Report Ohio fraud

Report Michigan fraud

2. Tax Filing:

• Only include income you actually received on your tax return. Don’t wait for your corrected 1099-G, if you haven’t received it. Do include legitimate unemployment benefits as income, as they are taxable.
• If you’ve already filed your taxes, don’t file an amended return.
• Watch for further information and guidance from the IRS.

Employer:

GJM Human Resources Manager Jeanne O’Riordon has assisted some GJM clients as they deal with unemployment benefit fraud affecting their employees. 

“As an employer I recommend you set up your online account with Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) and monitor your Correspondence Inbox for any notices of separation. The online account lets you see information faster than waiting to get it in the mail,” she says.

O’Riordon says as an employer you should report the ID theft online as well as the employee. It will help the state confirm that, indeed, a fraudulent claim has been filed. She says Ohio employees and employers should use this link to report fraudulent claims.

What Else Can You Do?

Check your credit. O’Riordon also suggests you place a free one-year fraud alert on your credit reports by contacting any one of the three nationwide credit reporting companies online or through their toll-free numbers. You’ll only have to make one call, as the bureau you contact must tell the other two. For further peace of mind, you can consider putting a freeze on your credit.

• Equifax: 800-525-6285
• Experian: 888-397-3742
• Trans Union: 800-680-7289

You can also report the fraud to the National Center for Disaster Fraud, which helps police stop future unemployment ID theft.

While it is an inconvenience, and a certainly a real concern that so much unemployment fraud is taking place, with a few steps you’ll be on your way to notifying the right authorities what happened to you, and hopefully protecting yourself from any potential future fraud.

Established in 1996, Gilmore Jasion Mahler, LTD (GJM) is the largest public accounting firm in Northwest Ohio, with offices in Maumee and Findlay. Locally owned, GJM offers cloud-based accounting and provides comprehensive services including assurance, business advisory, tax, risk advisory, healthcare management and outsourced accounting. The firm’s professionals specialize in industries including construction & real estate, healthcare, manufacturing & distribution and utilities.

“It’s never been a better time to be an owner of a business.”

That strong statement was made by Rob Quandt, Managing Director at Windjammer Capital during a GJM webinar examining the current increased activity in mergers and acquisitions, and the importance of having a succession plan. The webinar, Succession Planning High-Level View: 2021 on March 23 brought together a panel of experts to dive into the very active M&A market. The panel, moderated by GJM Transaction Advisory Partner Greg Taylor, also shared some thoughts on what it takes to have a successful succession plan for your business.

Strong M&A Market

Quandt’s statement speaks to the current climate coming out of the economic shutdown during the pandemic. The panelists agree that many businesses looking at potential sales, mergers and acquisitions before the pandemic put those plans on hold and now they’re feeling more confident moving forward. As a result, they say, there’s an explosion of M&A activity, particularly in the middle market.

Taylor notes that these aren’t distressed businesses either. In fact, he says, some are healthier than they’ve been in many years.

“The companies are very strong financially,” he says. “They have very strong balance sheets. That’s also the same situation for potential buyers.”

Panelist Tom Zucker, President & Founder of EdgePoint Capital agrees, describing the M&A marketplace as “incredibly hot”. He says not only are many owners interested in selling their businesses, but they’re getting premium valuations.

Why? Here are Zucker’s thoughts:

• There’s an abundance of capital chasing too few of potential deals
• Tax and regulatory has some scared
• The so-called “9/11 effect”

“Similar to the time period post 9/11, today business owners are choosing to reprioritize non-business activities ahead of corporate growth and profits. We have monikered these emotionally based decisions the “9/11 effect”. This re-examination of priorities has prompted many business owners to consider selling their business,” he says.

The “911 effect” reference Zucker makes is to the COVID-19 pandemic that, like the September 11^th attacks, has some people reexamining their priorities and making major life decisions, emotional decisions, like retiring or selling their businesses.

Regarding tax impact, GJM Tax Partner Charlie Heid says there’s no question that concerns about federal tax policy are driving decisions as well. Many are concerned about potential increases in capital gains tax that could hurt them on a sale further down the road.

“Tax rates that we see today are the lowest they’ve ever been, and they’re going to go up. The question is when, how, and by how much,” says Heid.

Are You Ready to Sell?

If someone walked in the door tomorrow and wanted to talk to you about buying your business, would you be ready? And what can you do so you will be ready?

Zucker says ask yourself these questions: What would you want out of a sale: to carry on your legacy? Get the highest price? Or maybe preserve and protect the corporate structure within your family? He says you need to know what you want from a sale, be very clear about that, and communicate it well.

“The hard work is really sitting down with your advisors and your family and being very clear what you want to get accomplished… and finding a good investment banker, a good attorney, a good accountant is absolutely critical in the journey.”

Quandt echoes that, saying you need to assemble the right team of experts, and be very clear about your goals.

“There’s not really a right or wrong answer for any business,” he says. “If you’re looking to stay involved in the business, great. If you want to retire, great. But if you’re upfront about it, you and your advisors can figure out which firm is going to be the right fit for what you’re trying to accomplish.”

Panelist Ian Bund, a Senior Advisor with Plymouth Growth, says their team looks for businesses at are in the growth stage and are looking for future needs and resources.

“We’re really in the business of partnering with entrepreneurs who have a growth thesis for their business and helping execute that growth thesis towards an exit, so if you’re interested in an exit in the next 6 to 12 months, it would be unlikely that we would be of much use to you, but if you had a longer horizon, and wanted to explore the possibility of your business being self-standing for a period of time, there may be a fit with what we do,” says Bund.

Timeframe for a Sale?  

Tom Zucker says the amount of time you think you need to prepare for sale, versus the length of time you actually need may be two different things. During the panel discussion he referenced an EdgePoint white paper surveying 200 privately-held busines owners who had sold. Early on, he says, those business owners thought less than a year would be enough time. Further into the process, Zucker noted, more and more business owners said a 1-3 year timeframe seemed a more reasonable expectation.

Words of Wisdom

Tom Zucker, EdgePoint:

“Never sell a business by yourself because there are very skilled buyers out there who will see the opportunity that might not be present to you as a business owner.”

Rob Quandt, Windjammer:

“It’s hard to underestimate the amount of data and questions you’re going to go through… you’re going to have two jobs for six months. You’re going to have your day job running the company to achieve the premium valuation, and you’re also going to be talking to multiple buyers who are going to have a lot of questions about your business.”

Ian Bund, Plymouth Growth:

“It’s the relationships that we make, where we’re supporting the growth cycle of a business and getting that business prepared so that ultimately it can optimize the exit value.”

Charlie Heid, GJM:

“Make sure you are in regular discussions with your advisors, your trusted inner circle.”

If you do decide now’s the right time to sell or to buy your business, and you’re clear on exactly what you want, turn to your trusted advisors for an open and honest conversation. To learn more about GJM's transaction advisory expertise or to connect with one of our experts, simply contact GJM to begin the conversation.

Established in 1996, Gilmore Jasion Mahler, LTD (GJM) is the largest public accounting firm in Northwest Ohio, with offices in Maumee and Findlay. Locally owned, GJM offers cloud-based accounting and provides comprehensive services including assurance, business advisory, tax, risk advisory, healthcare management and outsourced accounting. The firm’s professionals specialize in industries including construction & real estate, healthcare, manufacturing & distribution and utilities. 

Gilmore Jasion Mahler (GJM) Managing Partner Kevin Gilmore recently announced some exciting changes in the firm’s leadership team. Jamie Dixon, CPA and Matt Hoverman, CISA have been promoted to partner and Jessica Nunn, CPA has been promoted to senior manager.

Dixon is a member of GJM’s Healthcare Specialist Team. He also took on the role as GJM’s firm administrator in 2020. He has over thirty years of experience in both private and public accounting, providing consulting services to a broad range of healthcare entities, specializing in home health and long-term care. He has been with GJM since 2013. 

Matt Hoverman’s expertise is in risk advisory. He has over two decades of professional services experience in systems implementation, information security, internal and external audit, risk management, compliance, and management consulting across multiple industries. Matt joined GJM in 2016 and has since built a team offering risk advisory services.

Jessica Nunn is a member of the firm’s Manufacturing Specialist Team. She specializes in for-profit entities and has over a decade of public accounting experience at Gilmore Jasion Mahler. She’s been responsible for tax planning, preparation, and review of tax returns, in addition to general consulting largely related to corporate and multi-state tax issues.

“Congratulations to Jamie, Matt and Jessica on their well-deserved promotions,” says GJM Managing Partner Kevin Gilmore. “I’d also like to thank them, and all of our staff for the incredible work they’ve done over the past year helping our clients through all of the uncertainty brought on by the pandemic. We know our clients need our guidance now, perhaps more than ever.”

The promotions were effective January 1, 2021. 

Established in 1996, Gilmore Jasion Mahler, LTD (GJM) is the largest public accounting firm in Northwest Ohio, with offices in Maumee and Findlay. Locally owned, GJM offers cloud-based accounting and provides comprehensive services including assurance, business advisory, tax, risk advisory, healthcare management and outsourced accounting. The Firm’s professionals specialize in industries including construction & real estate, healthcare, manufacturing & distribution and utilities.  

If your business hasn’t yet applied through the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program, you’ll likely be doing so soon. Here are 6 recommendations on the application process from GJM Partner Bob Bobek. Bob has helped many businesses apply for the program in recent days and recommends you keep these tips in mind:

1. Sit down with a trusted advisor and make sure that the Paycheck Protection Program is right for you. There are other programs that may be a better fit for your business.
2. Use a loan calculator. GJM has created a simple calculator for our clients to plug in their numbers and know for sure which program is best for them. Check with your advisor to see if they have a similar tool or reach out to GJM for assistance.
3. Prepare. Make sure you have support for all items included in your loan application (Last year’s tax return, payroll data, etc.).
4. Maximize your loan draw. Make sure you’re getting the most benefit possible for your business.
5. Talk to your banker to make sure you understand exactly what they need and how they would like to see it. Keep in mind the banks are all trying to figure this out, too. Some banks may ask for items that other banks aren’t asking for. Each has its own application process. Most banks are processing more applications for these PPP loans than the total number of loans they process in a given year. 
6. Follow through. Now that you have your application submitted, start a dialogue. Find out how the loan will be processed, what loan documents will you need to sign and when you can expect to receive funds. Remember, once you receive your funds, the 8-week forgiveness period will begin. Its critical to keep communication open with your bank and your advisors. 

You can access information on the Paycheck Protection Program and many other resources designed to help your business navigate the pandemic in the GJM COVID-19 Resource Center.

Bob Bobek is an assurance partner with over 35 years of public accounting experience who works with privately-owned companies across multiple industries, with a concentration in construction and manufacturing.

Established in 1996, Gilmore Jasion Mahler, LTD (GJM) is the largest public accounting firm in Northwest Ohio, with offices in Maumee and Findlay. Locally owned, GJM offers cloud-based accounting and provides comprehensive services including assurance, business advisory, tax, risk advisory, healthcare management and outsourced accounting. The Firm’s professionals specialize in industries including construction & real estate, healthcare, manufacturing & distribution and utilities.

As our country faces the COVID-19 crisis we want to take a moment to bring you up to date on some of the steps Gilmore Jasion Mahler is taking as a result. We would also like to share some information on some resources for businesses, should you need them.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has announced a loan program to provide economic assistance to companies due to the slowing down of business in Ohio. It may be available to help your business provide funding for payroll, past due accounts payable and other working capital needs. Typically, such a loan program will have a very low interest rate and up to 30 years repayment schedule. Also, in the unfortunate event that furloughs or layoffs are necessary during these challenging times, impacted employees should qualify for immediate unemployment compensation relief.

Here are some helpful links for businesses seeking information in both Ohio and Michigan.

http://jfs.ohio.gov/ouio/CoronavirusAndUI.stm

https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/0,9753,7-406-98178_98179---,00.html

While there has been talk of the IRS possibly moving back the April 15 tax deadline, as of now there is no official word on if that may happen so GJM is currently working under the assumption there is no delay in the tax deadline. We expect to receive further guidance from the US Department of the Treasury this week and will promptly let everyone know.

As we are writing this, our offices remain open, though we have encouraged our staff to work from home if possible for the next three weeks. Should you need to drop off tax documents, GJM offices will be open during our normal business hours for you to do so.

We will continue to monitor COVID-19 developments here in Northwest Ohio and around the nation and share further information with our clients and partners as needed. Please feel free to reach out to your GJM team with any questions or concerns.

Established in 1996, Gilmore Jasion Mahler, LTD (GJM) is the largest public accounting firm in Northwest Ohio, with offices in Maumee and Findlay. Locally owned, GJM offers cloud-based accounting services and provides comprehensive services including assurance, business advisory, tax, risk advisory and healthcare management. The firm's professionals specialize in industries including construction & real estate, healthcare, manufacturing & distribution and utilities.