Up to half of the unemployment aid may have been stolen by criminals, the equivalent of about
$ 400 billion,
Axios reported.
Blake Hall, CEO of ID.me, a service that tries to prevent this type of fraud, explained to the aforementioned media that the United States could have lost up to 50% of all the money for unemployment assistance in theft.
Most of the money probably ended up in the hands of
foreign criminal groups,
making the problem a national security issue.
For his part, Haywood Talcove, CEO of LexisNexis Risk Solutions, estimated that at least 70% of the money stolen ended up in the hands of criminal groups in
China, Nigeria, Russia
and elsewhere.
The rest of the money was stolen by criminal groups in the country.
JBS paid $ 11 million as a ransom after the cyberattack on its plants
June 10, 202100: 52
The offenders
often pose as claimants for the subsidies
.
Others trick people into giving up their personal information themselves.
Some
scammers receive debit cards and withdraw money from ATMs to later transfer this money abroad,
often through bitcoin.
States that do not have fraud detection services are the most under attack.
This is announced a few days after at least 25 states, such as Maryland and Virginia, cancel part of the federal aid to the unemployed, including a federal benefit of $ 300 a week, starting this June 12.
Critics argue that additional federal unemployment assistance, in addition to regular state unemployment benefits, discourages some of the unemployed from seeking work.
The job market in the United States is on the mend.
The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week for the fifth consecutive week to a new low during the pandemic.
The decline in applications reflects a rapid rebound in economic growth and the job market recovery from the coronavirus recession.
More Americans are venturing out to shop, travel, dine, and meet at entertainment venues.
All that renewed spending has prompted companies to seek new workers.
Private payrolls rose by 978,000 last month,
and the Labor Department said initial jobless claims fell to 385,000, its lowest level since the pandemic hit, though still double the pre-health crisis average.
However, companies still face a worker shortage, as people face a lack of childcare and fear of contracting the virus, and others are retiring early or reconsidering their careers.
With information from Axios.
