Maryland uncovers $501M fraudulent unemployment claims scheme

Maryland has uncovered a “massive, sophisticated criminal enterprise” that resulted in the filing of 47,500 fraudulent claims totaling over $501 million, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Wednesday. The “widespread identity theft” was primarily tied to Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims, which cover independent contractors, gig workers, sole proprietors and other self-employed people, and was discovered over the Fourth of July weekend after the state detected a spike in out-of-state claims,…