WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, in a letter to U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Associate Deputy Attorney General William Hughes and United States Secret Service Assistant Director Michael D’Ambrosio, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) urged the DOJ and Secret Service to open an investigation into the large-scale “impostor fraud” schemes originating from abroad targeting unemployment insurance, as well as provide assistance to states grappling with a recent siege of scams.

The letter follows a June 9 hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Covid-19 related fraud, during which Blumenthal questioned D’Ambrosio on investigations into scams targeted to unemployment insurance. D’Ambrosio acknowledged that state agencies are facing a massive campaign from international criminal organizations specifically targeting COVID-19 relief payments, though he declined to comment on specifics citing that it is an active investigation. Blumenthal requested information about any fraud targeting Connecticut and federal efforts to advise states on preventing such identity theft.

“I urge the Department of Justice and the Secret Service to vigorously investigate these reports of large-scale campaigns of identity theft and impersonation in unemployment insurance, and to bring these perpetrators to justice. Every dollar lost due to criminal maleficence is a dollar stolen from the pockets of Americans who deserve assistance in their hour of need,” wrote Blumenthal.

Blumenthal continued, “State labor and social assistance agencies are stepping up and moving quickly to make sure their residents can pay their bills and put food on their tables. We cannot expect these same state agencies to simultaneously fight off a siege of coordinated, international cybercrime while working tirelessly to ensure that their residents’ basic needs are being met.”

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