EDD

As if surviving the pandemic without a job isn’t hard enough, people trying to navigate the state’s unemployment agency system are dealing with a new meltdown Monday night: The I-Team has learned the website for the Employment Development Department has been failing off and on for days.

This is the latest frustration with the state agency. Randy Mac reports for the NBC4 News on Monday, March 22, 2021.

An LA County EDD employee was arrested and charged with theft by embezzlement, her alleged crimes occurred before the pandemic, but underscores the ongoing system weaknesses that led to all the fraud we’ve seen lately. Randy Mac reports for NBC4 News at 6 p.m. on March 19, 2021.

The $1.9 trillion stimulus bill has a primary goal in mind: to get money and aid to financially strapped Americans. Here’s a break-down some of the key areas earmarked to get cash in the hands of those who need it most.

A year ago, before California’s first COVID -19 diagnosis, we’d seen it’s impact globally, we knew what to expect: that lives would be lost, millions of people would be hospitalized and we’d be forced to stay home to prevent infection. But no one could anticipate the many ways scammers would seek to profit from the pandemic.

It’s happened with wildfires and other natural disasters — scammers exploiting tragedies for profit — but this pandemic has taken fraud to a new level. I-team’s Randy Mac reports for NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on March 11, 2021.

Two U.S. Postal Service employees have been charged with abusing their positions to purchase postal money orders with thousands of dollars in California unemployment benefits obtained through false claims of pandemic-related job losses. The Los Angeles U.S. Attorney’s Office says the two were arrested Wednesday. A criminal complaint alleges conspiracy, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud and fraud in connection...

Come April 15, some Californians could get taxed on unemployment benefits they never requested or received. For nearly a year, hundreds of thousands of Californians forced out of work by the COVID-19 pandemic have relied on unemployment insurance. Like wages — that’s taxable income — and the state employment development department, EDD, is sending 1099G tax forms to anyone they...

What should you do if you get a tax form for benefits you didn’t receive? Randy Mac reported on NBC4 News on Monday, March 8, 2021.

The calls and emails keep pouring into NBCLA every day, viewers in a panic over their struggles to get their unemployment claims submitted and paid. Randy Mac Reports for the NBC4 News on Monday, Feb. 22, 2021.

Many people are having their groceries delivered these days, and you might be using the Instacart app to get them. The service or delivery fee may seem like a small price to pay for the convenience but the I-Team has learned Instacart might be costing you more than you realize. Consumer investigator Randy Mac reports Feb. 10, 2021.

Do you have to pay taxes on EDD overpayment? Randy Mac reported on NBC4 News on Monday, Feb. 8, 2021.

Irate California lawmakers on Wednesday shared heartbreaking stories of constituents living out of their cars while trying in vain to get their unemployment benefits approved by the state.

Randy Mac investigates “The Perfect Storm” of fraud and tracks down what happened to more than 100 people arrested for EDD fraud in Beverly Hills, on NBC4 News on Wednesday, Feb. 3 2021.

The department was warned repeatedly about it being prone to fraud but no system was in place when the pandemic arrived. EDD was unprepared. Randy Mac reported on NBC4 News on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021.

Randy Mac looks at the way the money was paid out posed a security risk and the quick fix that could help get money safely into people’s hands, for the NBC4 News on Friday, Jan. 29, 2021.

Fraudsters continue to steal money from unemployed Californians, by swiping it from their EDD debit cards. This is leaving people who need the money most – often penniless. But one lawmaker says she has a simple solution that could prevent a lot of this fraud, while lawyers are demanding change right now.

Unemployment fraud is costing California billions of dollars. How the state became a target for criminals in SoCal and around the world. Randy Mac reports for the NBC4 News on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021.

Randy Mac takes a look at the fraud that has hurt Californians attempting to receive unemployment benefits during the pandemic, on NBC4 News on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021.

Here’s an in-dept look at what went wrong and the fraud disrupting EDD. Randy Mac reported on NBC4 News on Monday, Jan. 25 2021.