Record High Unemployment Insurance Fraud Benefits Recovered

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that through partnerships with local District Attorneys, a record-high $4,500,718 in fraudulently obtained Unemployment Insurance benefits was recovered in 2017.

“When unscrupulous fraudsters game the system, they do so on the backs of law-abiding New Yorkers and businesses,” Governor Cuomo said. “I thank the investigators and local district attorneys for joining us in cracking down on unemployment insurance fraud and helping to preserve the integrity of the system.”

The New York State Department of Labor’s Office of Special Investigations is responsible for investigating instances of Unemployment Insurance fraud. The Department of Labor monitors several data sources and utilizes various analytical techniques to determine when fraud occurs. Overall, only a very small percentage of individuals who collect benefits do so illegally. Those who do attempt to defraud the system are generally detected quickly. Once suspected fraud is detected, cases are referred to local law enforcement.

The following District Attorney offices returned more than $100,000 to the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund in 2017:

A list of recoveries from other offices is available here. 

Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said, “The State Labor Department is committed to aggressively investigating UI fraud. We rely on dedicated partners in law enforcement to prosecute the cases we refer and it’s a testament to those relationships that we continue to achieve new record highs each year.”