For Immediate Release: Jan. 7, 2021
Media Contacts: Darlene Carnopis, darlene.carnopis@labor.idaho.gov or Georgia Smith, georgia.smith@labor.idaho.gov
The Idaho Department of Labor has partnered with ID.me for unemployment insurance claimant identity verification.
The information gathered from claimants is needed to make sure others are not filing claims using the person’s name and other personally identifying information. This is one step Labor is taking to help prevent fraud.
Thousands upon thousands of unemployment insurance claims have been filed by scammers using false or stolen identities across the country. It is estimated these scammers have siphoned off $36 billion in fraudulent unemployment payments from states since the start of the pandemic and the implementation of the CARES Act.