LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Las Vegas police say they are working with the Nevada unemployment department (DETR) to investigate possible fraud after a traffic stop near Palace Station over the weekend.
RELATED TO DETR:
According to the department, officers discovered methamphetamine, $45,000 in cash, and multiple unemployment cards with various names on them during a traffic stop Saturday.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, the department said two people were arrested and charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and felony possession of a credit card without the owner's consent.
Read the full Facebook post below:
On 08/08/20 SVAC Flex team officers stopped a vehicle which was seen in the area of Palace Station. During the course of the stop, officers found the vehicle contained a small amount of methamphetamine and over $45,000 in cash. Both suspects were also found in possession of multiple unemployment benefit cards from the State of Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) which were in various names.
The money was impounded and the suspects are charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and felony own/possess credit card without owners consent.
Further investigation will follow with DETR and other agencies as it is suspected the subjects may be involved in unemployment fraud.
Additional charges are pending once those inquiries are complete.
13 Action News has reached out to DETR for a statement and is waiting to hear back.
SIMILAR: Las Vegas man charged with illegally possessing unemployment debit cards issued by DETR
Just last week, the FBI announced a similar arrest. Authorities said 38-year-old Vincent Okoye of Las Vegas was charged with one count of possession of a counterfeit and unauthorized access device and one count of aggravated identity theft.
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In that case, Okoye is accused by authorities of having 100 credit and debit cards not issued in his name, including at least 11 debit cards issued by DETR.
HOW TO REPORT FRAUD
Individuals who believe that someone is fraudulently using their identity, as well as companies who believe that someone is fraudulently using the identity of their employees, to apply for unemployment benefits should file a complaint through the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) here and to DETR’s Fraud Report.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web complaint form.
