Hutchinson targeted in unemployment fraud

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday said he was targeted by scammers who fraudulently filed on his behalf for unemployment assistance intended for people affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Hutchinson said he received a notice over the weekend that he had been approved for unemployment assistance intended for independent contractors, gig workers and the self-employed. Hutchinson said he never applied for the assistance.

“It can happen to anyone,” Hutchinson said. The Republican governor said the case has been referred to the FBI.

State Commerce Secretary Mike Preston said 27,000 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims and another 10,000 unemployment claims have been frozen after they were flagged for potential fraud. Preston said several other cabinet secretaries had received similar notices to Hutchinson’s.

“We are trying to get through that backlog (of frozen claims) so we can make the payments to those who need that payment and rightfully deserve that payment,” Preston said. “But we have to do our due diligence.”

Connor Hagan, a spokesman for the FBI’s Little Rock office, could not confirm or deny the investigation into the fraudulent claim on Hutchinson’s behalf. But Hagan urged victims of unemployment fraud to report the suspected fraud to the state Division of Workforce Services, contact local to police to file an identity theft report and submit a report regarding to fraud to the FBI at www.ic3.gov.