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A26 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 28 May 2020
Huge Washington unemployment fraud warning to other states

By GENE JOHNSON been filed in Washing-
Associated Press ton since the first week in
SEATTLE (AP) — The first March, and the state has
word Seattle political con- paid $3.8 billion in benefits
sultant Dayna Lurie had since then.
that someone filed for un- "We have a fundamental
employment benefits in her obligation to protect pub-
name was when her boss lic money, to protect the
called."Did you quit without integrity of our information
telling me?" he asked. "We technology system, and
got an unemployment form we failed," said state Sen.
from the state of Washing- Reuven Carlyle. "Good
ton saying you don't work people worked very hard
here anymore." to identify it as best we
It turned out that, like thou- could, but this was a 100-
sands of Washington state year flood, an assault by
residents, Lurie's identity the premier fraudsters in the
was used by criminals seek- world, who have been col-
ing to capitalize on a flood lecting data on the people
of legitimate unemploy- of this country for years."
ment claims by sneaking in LeVine declined to identify
fraudulent ones. some measures the state
Washington's race to help has taken to ward off so-
newly laid-off residents as This photo shows a sign at the headquarters for Washington state's Employment Security Department called imposter fraud, say-
the coronavirus pandemic Tuesday, May 26, 2020, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. ing she didn't want to tip
ravaged the economy left Associated Press off bad actors, but she said
it vulnerable to such scams, was the first state they went able to have the money for unemployed workers. the department has been
and last week officials after, but we are seeing sent to prepaid debit cards Suzi LeVine, the commis- warning other states about
hinted at the scope of the the number of states being associated with bank ac- sioner of the state Employ- how it fell prey. The state's
damage done: hundreds attacked expand day by counts, from which they ment Security Department, response includes delaying
of millions of dollars paid day," said Patrick Peterson, can have it transferred in- said last week there is an payments to provide more
out in fake claims. Much chief executive of the Cali- ternationally or quickly ex- inherent tension between time to verify claims, a step
of it apparently went to a fornia cyber security firm changed for bitcoin or gift rushing out benefits in an she considers regrettable
West African fraud ring us- Agari, which has monitored cards, Peterson said. emergency and thorough- considering how many
ing identities stolen in prior the Nigerian fraud group, Washington may have ly vetting claims to block people need the money.
data breaches, such as dubbed Scattered Canary. been simply unlucky in be- any fraudulent payments. They include Nikita Gilbert,
the massive 2017 Equifax By late last week, attacks ing the first state targeted, "Our charge is to find that a 29-year-old single mother
breach. State and federal had been detected in at but it's also known inter- right balance," she said. in Spokane who has lost
authorities have tried to least nine states, most re- nationally as the home of But as an immense number work as a billing specialist.
claw back as much money cently Ohio and Hawaii, Microsoft and Amazon, of initial claims inundated She said the state began
as possible and say they he said. In many cases, the it offers the second most the system — the number paying her unemployment
have blocked hundreds of fraudsters have used identi- generous unemployment of weekly claims topped benefits, but halted the
millions more from being ties of people who haven't benefits in the country, and 180,000, compared to a payments May 15 and re-
paid out, but Washington's lost their jobs — so they it was one of the first states typical average of around quired more verification.
experience is nevertheless aren't likely to immediately to implement the federal 6,000 — that balance was Her parents have helped
a cautionary tale. notice someone else filing coronavirus aid bill that hard to come by. Some 2 financially, but she doesn't
"Our intel says Washington in their name. They've been provided additional money million initial claims have know if she'll make rent.q
Historic SpaceX launch postponed because of stormy weather

rocket ship with two NASA ment, and the word finally the Apollo moon missions a
astronauts on a history- came down that the atmo- half-century ago. Both Pres-
making flight into orbit was sphere was so electrically ident Donald Trump and
called off with 16 minutes charged that the space- Vice President Mike Pence
to go in the countdown craft with NASA astronauts had arrived to watch.
Wednesday because of Doug Hurley and Bob The flight — the long-held
thunderclouds and the Behnken aboard could get dream of SpaceX founder
danger of lightning. hit by a bolt of lightning. Elon Musk — would have
The commercially de- "No launch for today — marked the first time a pri-
signed, built and owned safety for our crew mem- vate company sent hu-
spacecraft was set to blast bers @Astro_Doug and @ mans into orbit. It would
off in the afternoon for the AstroBehnken is our top pri- also have been the first time
International Space Sta- ority," NASA Administrator in nearly a decade that the
tion, ushering in a new era Jim Bridenstine tweeted, United States launched as-
in commercial spaceflight using a lightning emoji. tronauts into orbit from U.S.
Clouds pass over the SpaceX Falcon 9, with the Crew Dragon and putting NASA back in The two men were sched- soil. Ever since the space
spacecraft on top of the rocket, as it sits on Launch Pad 39-A the business of launching uled to ride into orbit shuttle was retired in 2011,
Wednesday, May 27, 2020, at Kennedy Space Center in Cape astronauts from U.S. soil for aboard the SpaceX's bul- NASA has relied on Russian
Canaveral, Fla. the first time in nearly a de- let-shaped Dragon capsule spaceships launched from
Associated Press cade. But thunderstorms on top of a Falcon 9 rocket, Kazakhstan to take U.S. as-
By MARCIA DUNN CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) for much of the day threat- taking off from the same tronauts to and from the
AP Aerospace Writer — The launch of a SpaceX ened to force a postpone- launch pad used during space station.q