People across California and now the Central Coast are reporting being flooded with letters from the Employment Development Department (EDD).
Joann Green is one of the many California residents receiving multiple EDD unemployment benefit letters in the mail, some even containing debit cards with other people's names on them.
"I looked at the address, it was the right address and then I looked at the name and I didn't recognize the name so I looked in the phone book to see if maybe it was a neighbor or something,” Green explained.
EDD announced Thursday it’s working with law enforcement to investigate possible fraud.
In a statement, they said, "These perpetrators are often using stolen identity information from national and global data breaches, as well as exploiting expedited payment efforts in the federal PUA Program."
The EDD also stated it's taking steps to end the fraud, including stopping automatic backdating of PUA claims and limiting multiple claims at the same address.
"I don't want other people's mail, don't want this stuff," Green said. "I don't want to be a part of a scam.”
Since the pandemic began, the EDD has issued more than $81 billion in unemployment benefits.
If you have received letters from the EDD addressed to someone else, you're advised to return to call the EDD Fraud Hotline at 1-800-229-6297, or write “Return To Sender” on the envelope and put it in the mail.
