Criminals stole billions in COVID-19 unemployment benefits. New relief bill won t stop a repeat Sarah D. Wire © (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Congress is considering billions more in unemployment aid. The state Employment Development Department, above, reported that $30 billion may have been stolen last year. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)
Congress is poised to approve another quarter-trillion dollars in COVID-19-related unemployment benefits even though the nation s patchwork, state-based system remains vulnerable to the same rampant fraud that allowed scammers last year to siphon off more than $40 billion in pandemic relief intended for needy Americans.
That means the $1.9-trillion stimulus package headed for approval in Congress this month including another $260 billion in unemployment insurance is likely to bring another windfall for cyber criminals, including many foreigners impersonating laid-off workers and exploiting loopholes creat
COVID-19 relief bill lacks anti-fraud unemployment policies
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Former California, Massachusetts CIO John Thomas Flynn Joins MeriTalk – MeriTalk
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A year into pandemic, California s broken unemployment agency still hurting those in need Patrick McGreevy © (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) A job seeker waits to use a phone at a career center in Richmond, Calif. Lawmakers and government experts say the state unemployment system was unprepared for the unprecedented number of claims filed since the COVID-19 pandemic began ten months ago. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
Nearly a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, California’s beleaguered unemployment benefits system remains mired in dysfunction, leaving many jobless workers in dire straits after their efforts to receive financial assistance have been stymied by jammed phone lines, overwhelmed staff and failed technology.