Connecticut law enforcement team will fight organized crime groups and others trying to steal coronavirus jobless benefit. Over 150,000 fake claims have been filed.

State Labor Commissioner Kurt Westby said Monday that his agency has flagged as phony ten percent or more of the 1.5 million unemployment claims filed with the state since March 2020. Many arrived electronically in surges thousands filed by organized criminals here and abroad using stolen personal identity information purchased on the dark web. Most phony claims are being identified and rejected almost immediately, Westby said.