How many Ohio unemployment payments went to Nigerian fraud ring?

FBI, Secret Service and Ohio Highway Patrol among those now investigating PUA fraud in Ohio.

A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION ISNOW UNDERWAY IN OHIO -- TOFIND OUT áWHO IS RESPONSIBLEFOR THOUSANDS OF FRAUDULENTCLAIMS FOR PANDEMICUNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE.THOSERESULTED IN FROZEN ACCOUNTS.THE WCPO 9 ITEAM HAS NOWCONFIRMED THAT STATE, FEDERALAND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENTAGENCIES ARE COLLABORATING ONTHE CASE.

I-TEAM REPORTER DANMONK HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THISSTORY SINCE EARLY JUNE -- ANDHAS THE LATEST IN THIS REBOUNDINVESTIGATION.THE STATE OF OHIO HAS PAIDMORE THAN $5 BILLION INPANDEMIC UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITSTO 512,000 PEOPLE WHO DIDN'TQUALIFY FOR TRADITIONALUNEMPLOYMENT.STATE OFFICIALSNOW BELIEVE THOUSANDS OF THOSECLAIMS WERE BOGUS.áááI-TEAMBONGááá"And then there's a roughnumber of about 59,000 thatare the red flag claimsinvolving deceasedindividuals, fraudulent IPaddresses, multiple versionsof the same bogus emailaddresses and hundreds ofclaims that are sometimes tiedback to one email address.KIMBERLY HALL, DIRECTOR OF THEOHIO DEPARTMENT OF JOB ANDFAMILY SERVICES,DOESN'T KNOWHOW MUCH MONEY WAS LOST TOFRAUD."We're still working on thatfigure."A DEPARTMENT SPOKESMANNOW TELLS THE WCPO 9 I-TEAM ITCAN'T REVEAL MORE BECUASE OF APENDING CRIMINALINVESTIGATION.

THE FBI, SECRETSERVICE AND OHIO HIGHWAYPATROL ARE AMONG THE AGENCIESINVOLVED.CYBER-SECURITY EXPERTARMEN NAJARIAN SAYS OHIO'SLOSSES COULD RUN INTO THEHUNDREDS OFMILLIONS."It's a big number but it isbelievable.

When you considerthat this is unprecedented,right?

The amount of fundsthat were made available in avery short time frame withknown, light controls and insome cases no controls, it'splausible."NAJARIAN WORKS FORAGARI INC., A CALIFORNIA-BASEDSECURITY FIRM THAT CLAIMS ITHAS LINKED A NIGERIAN FRAUDRING KNOWN AS "SCATTEREDCANARY" TO PUA FRAUD IN 14STATES, INCLUDINGOHIO."We observed, againthrough the verifiedcommunications that we dohave, activity related tostate unemployment fraud withScattered Canary."NAJARIANSAYS IT WAS ABLE TO VERIFYFOUR FRAUDULENT CLAIM ATTEMPTSBY SCATTERED CANARY IN OHIOBETWEEN MAY 18 AND JULY 13.áááI-TEAMBONGáááOHIO SUSPENDED 270,000 PUACLAIMS FOR SUSPECTED FRAUD INMID-JULY.NEARLY 60,000 OFTHOSE CLAIMS HAVE SINCE BEENDEEMED LEGITIMATE.

MORE THAN150,000 ARE STILL UNDER REVIEW.DAN MONK WCPO 9 I-TEAMOHIO HAD PLENTY OF WARNINGBEFORE IT FELL VICTIM TOFRAUDSTERSTHE SECRET SERVICEPUBLISHED A FRAUD ALERT INMAY.

AND THE LABORDEPARTMENT'S INSPECTOR GENERALURGED STATES áNOT TO LET PUARECIPIENTS SELF-CERTIFY THEIRELIGIBILITY.CHECK OUT DAN'SDIGITAL STORY TO SEE WHY OHIO- AND OTHER STATES - IGNOREDTHAT ADVICE.