White House Economic Adviser: Unemployment Numbers Will Get Worse; Fraudsters Are Faking Unemployment Claims

By Newsweek. Director of the National Economic Council Larry Kudlow said on Friday that unemployment numbers would continue to get worse as the U.S. reported its highest unemployment numbers since the Great Depression.

“The economic and jobs numbers are going to continue to deteriorate,” Kudlow said during an interview with Fox Business.

Kudlow was addressing the latest unemployment numbers for April released Friday morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. About 20.5 million Americans lost their jobs last month, the BLS said in its report. The number stands in sharp contrast to the Great Recession of 2008, when from January 2008 to February 2010, 8.8 million people lost their jobs.

“I don’t know if it’s as bad as it gets,” Kudlow said. “I don’t think this pandemic contraction has yet fully run its course.” (Read more from “White House Economic Adviser: Unemployment Numbers Will Get Worse” HERE)

_____________________________________________________

Fraudsters Are Faking Washington Unemployment Claims Amid Coronavirus Joblessness Surge

By The Seattle Times. When Brian Slish opened his mail recently at his home in Samammish, he was surprised to find a letter from Washington state, saying his claim for unemployment benefits was under review.

Millions of Americans have abruptly lost their jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic’s economic shutdown, but Slish is not one of them. As general manager of Honda of Kirkland, he’s continued working, as the car dealership’s service department was considered an essential business under Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-home order.

Slish says he’s alarmed someone apparently filed for unemployment in his name, using personal information to submit a claim to the state Employment Security Department (ESD) on April 19. He said similar false claims were filed in the names of his wife and two coworkers — all still employed. . .

His story is not isolated. As Washington grapples with a tsunami of legitimate unemployment claims — more than 100,000 last week — the state also is seeing a rise in attempts by fraudsters to siphon off a portion of the benefits. Such phony claims have been submitted in the names of workers at school districts, nonprofits, the local chamber of commerce and The Seattle Times, among others. (Read more from “Fraudsters Are Faking Washington Unemployment Claims Amid Coronavirus Joblessness Surge” HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE