Washington state has recovered $10 million from Metropolitan Commercial Bank in response to unemployment funds that were stolen during the pandemic, the state Attorney General’s office has announced. The recovery increases the total amount regained from U.S. banks to $52 million since 2020, as part of a fraud recovery program implemented during the pandemic. The state lost a total of $647 million to identity theft and unemployment benefit fraud during the pandemic, however, since then, they have successfully reclaimed $432.6 million from various sources. The latest reimbursement involved a fintech company called MovoCash which used stolen identities to acquire unemployment funds and then transferred them through Metropolitan Commercial Bank. The bank was sued for not taking adequate measures to prevent fraud, money laundering, and identity theft. The bank settled the lawsuit by agreeing to pay $9 million to the Employment Security Department and $1 million to the Attorney General’s office for investigation costs and future consumer protection activities.

Moreover, if anyone from the public had queries or issues from unemployment funds or any other related topics, they can always contact the specific department for help. For instance, in California, eddcaller.com is a devoted website where individuals can find information on how to get a hold of edd, get through to unemployment customer service, ask about payment status or switch from check to debit card. In essence, it acts as a platform that provides consumer support and information on unemployment benefits and funds.