FLORIDA — Over the last year, FOX 4 has been bombarded with hundreds of emails from people all over our state, who say they've been having trouble accessing their accounts with the state Department of Economic Opportunity.
For some, it was because they couldn't verify their identity with ID.me, and for others, their accounts have been re-locked and they say they can't seem to get a DEO representative on the phone to explain why.
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Just today, FOX 4 got a frantic email from a man, who claimed to live in Orange County, FL, and said he's lost everything as a result of the pandemic.
He told our team that he was considering self-harm, because of issues with his unemployment account.
We contacted the DEO who says they are working to get in touch with him to try and fix things and also called the authorities so they could do a wellness check.
If you are struggling and need help, you can always call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8855.
To help with some of the issues we've been emailed about, the DEO has also rolled out several new tools to help.
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"DEO Verify" is one of them. According to the agency, it will allow you to verify your identity within the DEO's system. The department has also released an updated guide to help folks who are struggling to reset their pin number.
To learn more about these tools and more, click here.
That said, if you're still struggling to access your account and you want FOX 4 to submit your name to the DEO for help, please fill out this form.
