Nearly $16 million in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits in Hawaii may have been lost to fraud and identity theft, the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations reported today.
The more than $15.8 million lost to fraud amounts to about 4% of the total PUA benefits distributed in the state. The DLIR has paid out over $387 million via legitimate claims.
The department also reported blocking more than $76.5 million in possibly fraudulent PUA claims.