Identity Thieves Drain Unemployment Benefit Funds

Makarand writes "According to a News.com.com article, the defrauding of state government unemployment benefit programs is the most underpublicized identity theft crime and the states are not doing much about it. Identity thieves are using stolen social security numbers to file false unemployment claims and collecting benefits because the states have no systems in place to deter fraud. In fact, it is easier to convert stolen identity data into money by filing false unemployment claims than going after the credit card companies." From the article: "File a false unemployment claim and you can receive $400 per week for 26 weeks. Do it for 100 Social Security numbers and you've made a quick $1.04 million. It's tough to make crime pay much better than that."

Comments

Tell me about it

[Winckle]

This Malda guy next door has been unemployed for so long I don't think he's ever gonna get a job.

Ah, but are they really thieves?

[Anonymous Coward]

They are only copying someone's identity after all. The original person still has their identity, so it can't be considered "theft" :D