Warren Winston thought he’d escaped all the unemployment fraud occurring across the country.
For months, the unemployed contract pharmacist said, he received his benefit payments with no problem. But then somebody hacked into his account and directed his money to an obscure bank 1,300 miles away.
That was in April, more than three months ago. He said he quickly complained to the Illinois Department of Employment Security, law enforcement and regulators, but it kept happening. So far, four of his nine most recent payments, for a total of $3,262, have been diverted — including one as late as July 14.
“Somebody robs a bank in Pittsfield, and the cops get there in five minutes,” Winston told the Tribune. “Somebody robs a bank in IDES, and nobody does anything about it for three months. It’s unthinkable.”