DENVER — The Colorado labor department will hold two unemployment virtual town halls on Friday to provide information about the state's unemployment insurance program.
Participants can join online or over the phone. Registration information can be found here.
Officials are expected to address federal extended benefits, the new online unemployment benefits system and fraud.
According to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), in just the first week of January – of the 41,000 unemployment claims in our state, 16,000 appear to be fake.
Since the pandemic began, the state estimates it has paid out nearly $10 million in fraudulent unemployment claims.
Those most vulnerable are likely victims in a previous data breach, like the Equifax breach, which exposed thousands of social security numbers.
The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment earlier this month announced it will partner with ID.me to implement an identification verification system required under the latest federal stimulus package that officials also hope will cut down on the amount of fraud within both the regular and federal unemployment insurance system.
Colorado has until Jan. 26 to implement the ID verification requirements under the new federal program.
