MONEY

'Hey there, hot stuff.' Iowa agency sends callers to phone sex hotline

Jason Clayworth
jclayworth@dmreg.com

At least 78 Iowa businesses received information this week that mistakenly directed their questions about unemployment insurance payments to a phone sex hotline.

The Feb. 13 letter from Iowa Workforce Development went to people who had return-payment notices. It informs them to call the Unemployment Insurance Tax Bureau, then gives them a telephone number.

But callers to that number hear something much different than promised — a seductive female voice who tells them:

"Hey there, hot stuff. Ummm.
"I’ve been waiting for your call."

The message becomes demonstrably more NSFW from there.

Iowa Workforce Development Unemployment Insurance Administrator Ryan West attributed the erroneous number to a typo and said correct letters would be mailed late Friday.

West said he does not expect any employees to be disciplined.

"Well, certainly, we will make sure it does not happen again," West said. "This will be a training for us as we move forward."

The non-sexy number to the bureau: 1-888-848-7442.

This Feb. 13, 2017, letter has an incorrect number, directing Iowa unemployment insurance calls to a sex line.