About 16,500 new unemployment claims filed in Maine last week

As the Maine Department of Labor continues to investigating unemployment filing fraud, about 11,000 new claims came in last week.

Additionally, 13,500 claims were filed for the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.

Overall that's a of decline of more than 20,000 claims from the week before when the labor department issued warnings about fake filings.

About 162,000 weekly certifications, or continued claims, were filed last week for state unemployment.

And, approximately 55,000 weekly certifications were filed under PUA, including for retroactive benefit weeks.

Weekly certifications must be filed in order to continue receiving unemployment benefits.

Since March 15, the Department has paid out roughly $650 million.

“The Department of Labor is committed to maintaining the integrity of Maine’s unemployment system and, alongside our partners, fighting fraud and defending innocent Maine people from scammers trying to exploit them,” Commissioner Laura Fortman said in a press release. “We know these benefits are a lifeline for many Maine people during this unprecedented time, and the Department will work as hard as we can to distribute benefits as quickly as we can while we continue to combat this criminal activity.”

Anyone who believes their personal information has been used by someone else should contact the Department of Labor immediately using a form on their website https://appengine.egov.com/apps/me/unemploymentfraudhttps://appengine.egov.com/apps/me/unemploymentfraud