The state has struggled to distinguish between fraudulent and legitimate claims, which some said led many unemployed Pennsylvanians to deal with cumbersome verification systems designed to root out fraud.
In all, the agency estimates it owes $19.4 million to tens of thousands of people who were erroneously charged an inflated interest rate between 2006 and 2016.
In the first week of August, roughly 640,000 people were receiving the extra $300 per week.
Cyber criminals have been targeting public benefits across the country throughout the pandemic, harvesting personal information that has been leaked through various data breaches to file new claims on behalf of real people.
The state’s top labor official said there was never an attempt to deliberately conceal an error that resulted in thousands of people being overcharged millions of dollars in interest.
The agency will send millions in refunds to roughly 250,000 people after months of inquiries from Spotlight PA about the issue.
Also on the program: Department of Labor and Industry rolls out new unemployment compensation system
