High-ranking government officials of Maryland, including Gov. Larry Logan, L.T. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford, and several other cabinet members, were targets of an unemployment fraud scheme.
Maryland reported that its surveillance systems traced unauthorized traffic and disabled fraudsters trying to use actual social security numbers and addresses to submit thousands of new complaints on its website. It is the second-largest unemployment fraud scheme uncovered since Election Day.
A third scheme was announced on July 15, wherein a sophisticated enterprise involved more than 47,500 unemployment fraud benefit claims in Maryland and totaled over $ 501 million.
On Wednesday, Gov. Larry Logan wrote on Twitter that he was recently informed that along with Lt. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford and several cabinet members, he had been the target of an unemployment fraud scheme. "The fraudulent claims were immediately blocked, and a comprehensive investigation is underway," he added.
The Hogan administration said that over 85 percent of the 214,000 flagged claims were confirmed as fraudulent by the Maryland Department of Labor. The department investigates the unemployment fraud scheme in-state and out-of-state, which they review and verify documentation manually.
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In his statement about the unemployment fraud scheme, the governor said, "We have been more aggressive than any state in going after the rampant fraud that targets unemployment insurance systems nationwide." "The vast majority of claims we have flagged have been confirmed fraudulent, saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. This is another example of how this kind of fraud can happen to anyone, and we need to remain vigilant," he added.
Since March 9, Maryland's state paid a total of $8.2 billion in state and federal unemployment benefits.
To track down these unemployment fraud scams, an investigation is still ongoing in conjunction with the Maryland State Police and the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General.
Maryland Secretary of Labor Tiffany Robinson said, "This latest fraud scheme only reinforces the need to maintain the heightened security measures in place to protect Marylander and the integrity of the state's program, - We are working closely with our law enforcement partners to ensure that all of these criminals are brought to justice."
"The investigation is still ongoing, but our department is working on reviewing the uploaded documentation and reinstating all verified accounts quickly," the Maryland Department of Labor told 11 News as an update to the issue.
DeVere said, "I'd like to get this situated. I want to get a good night's sleep. I can't tell you the last time that happened."
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Officials are asking anyone who thinks their information has been used to file an unemployment insurance claim fraudulently to contact the Maryland Department of Labor's Division of Unemployment Insurance by emailing ui.fraud@maryland.gov.
Experts also advise citizens who suspects that they are a victim of identity theft to take any of the following:
- Contact authorities.
- File a report with Federal Trade Commission.
- Freeze credit cards.
- Place a fraud alert on your credit reports.
- Sign up for a credit monitoring service.
For those who lost their jobs, watch the Department of Labor created YouTube videos to help with filing unemployment claims.
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