Identity Thieves Tried To Steal $158M From MA Unemployment Agency

BOSTON — Organized crime syndicates tried to steal at least $158 million from the Massachusetts unemployment fund since the coronavirus crisis started in March, state labor officials said Tuesday.

The Department of Unemployment Assistance said the thieves used stolen identification information to file fraudulent unemployment claims when widespread shutdowns drove jobless claims to record levels, the Boston Herald reported. DUA said it has recovered $158 million so far.

The fraud, which was first disclosed in May, has led to delays in processing claims for unemployment benefits as DUA officials verify claimants' identities. DUA has paid out on a little more than one million of the 1.6 million claims filed since March. About 70,000 of the 465,584 claims that have been denied are under appeal.