COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina's unemployment agency says it has identified 180 people who fraudulently received up to $10,000 each in unearned jobless benefits.
The Department of Employment and Workforce is working with the U.S. Labor Department and the state attorney general's office to investigate and prosecute unemployment insurance fraud.
A spokeswoman says the unemployment agency has identified about $10 million in unearned benefits paid. Mary-Kathryn Craft says investigators are first going after those who collected at least $10,000 extra. If all 180 repaid the state, that would total $2.5 million.
The average unemployment benefit in South Carolina is $239 a week.
A U.S. Labor Department report estimates the state improperly paid nearly $90 million in jobless benefits last fiscal year. The biggest reason is people continuing to collect after getting a job.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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