Unemployment insurance fraud is the receipt of unemployment benefits to which one is not entitled, or assisting one in such receipt. It is a particularly prevalent crime in today’s tough economy with numerous underemployed workers. Workers who may have been unemployed for some period of time, only find work at lower pay than expected, continue to received unemployment benefits when they are simultaneously receiving pay.

Such workers are “double-dipping” and it is illegal (Insurance Code §§ 2101 and 2102).

The State of California Employment Development Department (EDD) often discovers such fraud by checking wage records submitted to the state tax division, reviewing the national directory of new hires and comparing records for unemployment benefits with those used by child support enforcement officials. Sometimes, the state will subpoena employer payroll records and even conduct surveillance operations.