Scammers got nearly 30% of Arizona virus unemployment pay

By BOB CHRISTIE
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Scammers pocketed nearly 30% of the $16 billion in unemployment insurance payments sent out by Arizona since the coronavirus pandemic began. The director of the state agency overseeing the program said Thursday that most of the fraud happened in the first several months of the pandemic. Federally funded emergency unemployment insurance programs designed to help so-called “gig workers” such as Uber drivers were the main target. Department of Economic Security Director Michael Wisehart says an estimated $4.4 billion was lost to identity thieves. Other states also were hard hit by scammers. The U.S. Department of Labor in June estimated that more than $87 billion will have been stolen nationally by early September.