Identity theft
Nigerian IT worker charged in multistate unemployment fraud

By Gene Johnson Jun. 24, 2021 06:02 PM EDT
SEATTLE (AP) — A Nigerian information technology worker has been indicted on federal wire fraud and identity theft charges, after authorities said he and his...

Man pleads guilty in $20M fraud on coronavirus aid programs

By Larry Neumeister Jun. 15, 2021 03:22 PM EDT
NEW YORK (AP) — A Chinese man who prosecutors say tried to get $20 million in federal aid for distressed businesses pleaded guilty Tuesday to two criminal...

Ex-Olympic skater charged with defrauding virus relief fund

Jun. 08, 2021 12:11 PM EDT
NEW YORK (AP) — A former Olympic figure skater has been arrested on charges that he ripped off a program to help struggling small businesses harmed by the...

California gun bust leads to charges of $600,000 in fraud

Jun. 07, 2021 07:43 PM EDT
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — In what a district attorney called a “dangerous combination,” prosecutors say a gun bust has led investigators to uncover $600,000 in...

Feds: Ring of Venezuelans stole thousands in stimulus money

Jun. 02, 2021 11:31 AM EDT
MIAMI (AP) — Federal authorities say a ring of Venezuelans living in South Florida and Mexico stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in U.S. government...

In this image provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, federal agents from Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General engage in search warrant operations at a laboratory in Atlanta. More than 35 individuals associated with telemedicine companies and cancer genetic testing laboratories were charged for actions related to fraudulent genetic testing. The Justice Department announced charges on May 26, 2021, against more than a dozen people from Florida to California in a series of Medicare scams that exploited coronavirus fears to bill tens of millions of dollars in bogus claims. (Department of Health and Human Services via AP)
Feds take down Medicare scams that preyed on virus fears

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar May. 26, 2021 01:26 PM EDT

Detroit-area man charged in $849,000 unemployment aid fraud

May. 06, 2021 04:03 PM EDT
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) — A suburban Detroit man was arrested Thursday in an alleged scheme to collect $849,000 in unemployment benefits. ...

Rhode Island man indicted in virus relief fraud scheme

Apr. 19, 2021 10:48 AM EDT
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A Rhode Island man has been indicted in a scheme to fraudulently apply for unemployment funds and economic relief for small businesses...

Audit: Unemployment fraud likely higher than $647 million

By Rachel La Corte Apr. 13, 2021 02:55 PM EDT
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The amount of fraudulent payments of unemployment benefits distributed in Washington state during the height of the coronavirus pandemic...

California inmate pleads guilty to $100,000 COVID fund fraud

Apr. 12, 2021 06:37 PM EDT
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California prison inmate pleaded guilty Monday to conspiring to steal more than $100,000 in unemployment benefits designed to help...

2 ex-Louisiana College students indicted in ID theft scam

Mar. 27, 2021 01:49 PM EDT
SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — A grand jury has indicted two former Louisiana College students as part of a scheme to steal money from other students, federal...

FILE - In this May 12, 2011, file photo, the Oregon Capitol is shown surrounded by spring blossoms in Salem, Ore. Oregon officials continue to refuse to publicly disclose how much money the state has lost to unemployment insurance fraud during the pandemic, despite the fact that neighboring states – Washington and California – have reported huge sums of money wrongly paid after their systems were targeted by sophisticated hackers. (AP Photo/Don Ryan, file)
Oregon won't say how much it has lost to unemployment fraud

By Sara Cline Mar. 22, 2021 03:38 PM EDT

FILE - In this May 7, 2020, file photo, the entrance to the Labor Department is seen near the Capitol in Washington. Unemployment fraud in the U.S. has reached dramatic levels during the pandemic: more than $63 billion has been paid out improperly through fraud or errors since March 2020. Criminals are seizing on the opportunity created by the pandemic and are making false claims using stolen information. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
What to do if you are a victim of unemployment fraud

By Sarah Skidmore Sell Mar. 15, 2021 09:03 AM EDT

2 postal workers linked to California unemployment fraud

Mar. 10, 2021 06:02 PM EST
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two U.S. Postal Service employees were arrested Wednesday on charges that they abused their positions to purchase postal money orders with...

FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 7, 2019, file photo, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser speaks during a news conference in Denver. Colorado Attorney General Weiser announced a statewide campaign Thursday, March 4, 2021, to identify and prosecute persons responsible for an estimated 1 million-plus fraudulent claims for unemployment benefits during the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
Colorado AG, state launch task force on unemployment fraud

Mar. 04, 2021 11:52 AM EST

Vermont offers ID theft help to 100,000 after tax form error

Feb. 10, 2021 08:32 AM EST
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — The state of Vermont is offering identity theft protection to more than 100,000 people who received unemployment benefits last year...

Florida man charged with COVID relief fraud

Feb. 08, 2021 07:05 PM EST
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man received more than $7.2 million in coronavirus relief funds after concocting hundreds of nonexistent employees on loan...

FILE — In his Dec. 18, 2020 file photo a runner passes the office of the California Employment Development Department in Sacramento, Calif. California reported a significant surge in unemployment claims last week for independent contractors, accounting for more than a quarter of all such climbs nationally and raising concerns about a return of widespread fraud, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
California: Criminal rings loot billions in jobless funds

By Michael R. Blood Jan. 25, 2021 08:32 PM EST

FILE - This 2019 photo provided by the Butler County (Ohio) Jail shows Brian Rini in Hamilton, Ohio. A federal judge plans to complete sentencing Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020 for an Ohio man who falsely claimed to be a long-missing Illinois child. Rini, now 25, was initially sentenced earlier this year to two years behind bars. But the judge wanted to see results of a pre-sentencing investigation, likely including details of Rini's mental and physical conditions, before officially entering his sentence. (Butler County (Ohio) Jail via AP, File)
Sentencing set for Ohio man who claimed to be missing child

By Dan Sewell Dec. 15, 2020 07:33 AM EST

Chicago rapper G Herbo pleads not guilty to fraud scheme

Dec. 09, 2020 03:56 PM EST
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Chicago rapper G Herbo pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to participating in a scheme to use stolen credit card information to pay for...