ALBANY, N.Y. — On Thursday the NYS Department of Labor announced that it's prevented over $1 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims from falling into the hands of criminals.
The DOL said it's identified more than 42,000 fake claims since mid-March. It has given more cases to federal prosecutors than it had in the previous 10 years combined.
"These scammers have been stealing hardworking New Yorkers’ identities for years waiting to strike, but we will not let them succeed,” New York State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said. “We have a robust and experienced team of fraud investigators and are working aggressively with partners in law enforcement to identify fraud and hold these criminals accountable.”
The fraudulent claims are being made by people who are using the identities of real NY residents, which were likely stolen during data breaches. They have been filing claims illegally to collect benefits in the name of people who are employed.
Anybody who has received any communication about benefits, but hasn't applied for unemployment, is asked to report it here.
