Washington unemployment fraud might be up to $650 million
By Rachel La Corte / Associated Press
OLYMPIA — Washington officials said Thursday they believe they have recovered about half of the hundreds of millions in unemployment benefits paid to criminals who used stolen identities to file claims during the coronavirus pandemic.
Employment Security Department Commissioner Suzi LeVine said officials are still working to determine the final amount paid out fraudulently, but they believe it was between $550 million and $650 million. To date, the state has recovered $333 million, she said.
“We do believe there is still a significant amount we can get back,” she said.
The number of new claims for unemployment benefits in Washington dropped to just over 31,000 last week. LeVine said the drop is in part because of the ongoing anti-fraud efforts and because the economy is restarting under the state’s four-stage reopening plan that is bringing people back to work.
https://www.heraldnet.com/northwest/washington-unemployment-fraud-might-be-up-to-650-million/
