EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT)– Tucker Publishing Group has been creating Evansville Living magazines for more than 20 years. The owners say they never would have guessed people would use their company as a means to pocket an unemployment check.
Kristen Tucker, co-owner of Tucker Publishing Group, said when she was filing her quarterly unemployment taxes she realized they were being charged nearly $850 more than usual.
“Then we started clicking further and saw a roster of employees come up. It was 42 names that were unknown to us,” Tucker explained.
None of Tucker Publishing Group’s 12 employees were on the roster.
“Some how the system has been compromised,” said Tucker.
She doesn’t know how the alleged schemers accessed the company’s account. Tucker fears these aren’t the only strings they are trying to pull.
“I don’t think it’s isolated at all and it’s part, from what I’ve heard of, many fraudulent schemes taking place now,” Tucker said.
The scammers fall under radar and collect unemployment checks by filing claims. Tucker said once she was notified of the first fraudulent unemployment claim, she caught onto their scheme right away.
Local investigators have seen recent reports of unemployed workers’ benefits being re-routed to a stranger’s bank account. If you have been a victim of unemployment fraud, call police right away.
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(This story was originally published on July 31, 2020)
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