According to a new Department of Labor Inspector General report, scammers were able to steal nearly $46 billion in pandemic cash through state unemployment insurance [UI] programs. "Following the start of the pandemic in the United States in early 2020, unemployment compensation claims rose exponentially to historically unprecedented levels. Prior to the pandemic, numbers of UI claims were historically low. The CARES Act provided significant funding to the federal-state UI program, which resulted in hundreds of billions of dollars in additional payments," the office explains. "The unprecedented infusion of federal funds into the UI program gave individuals and organized criminal groups a high-value target to exploit.

Source: ABC News September 23, 2022 16:35 UTC