18 May Unemployment Insurance Benefits Fraud

As an employment agency, Integrated Staffing has encountered situations of potential unemployment claim fraud.  The following is taken directly from the government website:

When someone collects unemployment insurance (UI) benefits by lying to the Department of Labor, he or she is committing fraud.  We take UI benefits fraud very seriously. It is a crime that affects businesses and workers. It drives up UI costs to law-abiding businesses, and it leaves honest workers unprotected. We need every dollar to help those who honestly need these benefits.

Some examples of UI benefits fraud include:

• Providing false information or failing to disclose information on your application for benefits, including lying about how you lost your job
• Working while collecting unemployment benefits and inaccurately reporting your days and earnings
• Working any amount of time in a week while collecting benefits and telling us you did not work
• Earning more than $420 from employers in one week where benefits are collected and not correctly reporting true total earnings for that week
• Failing to be ready, willing and able to work (e.g., out of the area, on vacation, sick, suffering total disability) while collecting UI benefits
• Working “off the books” while collecting benefits
• Using another person’s identity (e.g., name, social security number) to file fraudulent claims
• Helping another person file a false unemployment insurance claim
• Collaborating with an employer to illegally claim unemployment insurance benefits

Any person who commits fraud will have to pay us back the money. He or she will be penalized, and may be arrested and prosecuted.