TALLAHASSEE – Several leaders from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s Reemployment Assistance program presented information on identity theft and fighting public benefits fraud at the national Unemployment Insurance Technology Symposium in Washington, D.C., this week.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) has made preventing, detecting, and combatting fraud in the reemployment assistance program a top priority and has designed and implemented cutting edge fraud detection software.  Over the past 18 months, more than 100,000 illegal claims have been stopped, preventing a potential $470 million in unemployment benefits from being stolen.

DEO Executive Director Jesse Panuccio said, “Identity theft and related fraud harm those whose identities are stolen, rob the social safety net of limited resources, impose unwarranted costs on taxpayers, and undermine public confidence in government.  The costs are significant and growing. In Florida, we want to be a leader in fighting the criminals who are stealing taxpayers’ dollars.”

The agency works with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute suspected cases of identity theft and benefits fraud. Other states have begun to follow Florida’s lead, requesting presentations and technical information on the systems currently in place.

Tom Clendenning, Director of Workforce Services, along with other leaders in the program, presented the information at the Unemployment Insurance Technology Symposium to management of public benefits systems in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. “DEO is now more effective at detecting and stopping payment on potentially fraudulent claims due to identity theft, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure these criminals are brought to justice,” Clendenning said.