COLUMBUS — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine warned Ohioans to be on alert if they receive information about a fake unemployment claim filed on their behalf.
At Tuesday’s press conference and via Twitter, DeWine said, “If that happens, they should call Ohio Job & Family Services immediately.
“There are also official-looking notices claiming to be from the government that say you’ve been overpaid in stimulus or unemployment benefits and need to return the money immediately. OhioJFS recently started to see this as well. They have at least 3,000 cases where this type of fraud has been attempted,” he said.
Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted added, “Unfortunately, there are people out there who see a crisis as an opportunity to take advantage of others. In perhaps the most widespread scam, criminals are filing fake unemployment claims on behalf of real people who haven’t lost their jobs.
State borrows
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced the state had to borrow money beginning Tuesday to meet its unemployment obligation during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said Ohio requested $3.1 billion in borrowing authority from the U.S. Department of Labor.
At his Tuesday press conference and via Twitter, DeWine said, “That total exceeds what we think we will need to pay out in benefits. It is essentially a line of credit, so we asked for greater authority than we currently think that we will need so that we have it just in case we need it.”
He added, “Ohio is not alone. So far during the COVID-19 crisis, some other states, such as California and Texas, have also had to borrow money for their unemployment insurance obligation.”
For families
DeWine said, “I am announcing $1 million in grant funding to Ohio’s local Family and Children First Councils. Local FCFCs serve some of Ohio’s most vulnerable children who often need services from many different agencies.
“For many of the youth served by FCFCs, the changes to routines caused by coronavirus have been earthshattering, especially for the ones who lack access to technology and the internet. As services moved online, some of these youth were left without a connection to their doctors.
Statewide
As of the Tuesday afternoon update from the State of Ohio, there were 38,911 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 3,099 probable ones for a total of 42,010, with 51 percent male and 48 percent female. There have been 7,007 hospitalizations with 1,784 ICU admissions. The state reports 2,362 confirmed deaths and 235 probable COVID-19 deaths for a total of 2,597.
Locally
The most recent Clinton County COVID-19 statistics show 44 confirmed cases and nine probable ones for a total of 53. No one is currently hospitalized, and 45 are listed as recovered. For more information locally, statewide and even globally, visit the Clinton County Coronavirus Response Hub at covidcc.com .
The state this week announced “pop-up testing sites” where anyone can get a no-cost test. Those include: CityLink Center, 800 Bank St., Cincinnati, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Centerpoint health Community Building Institute, 800 Lafayette Ave., Middletown, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
