Pinpointing the exact moment and method of personal information identity (PII) theft isn’t always possible due to stealthy attack techniques, complex IT infrastructure, and challenges in real-time detection – just to name a few reasons why time goes by before victims even realize they are compromised. But it is possible to track down that moment the stolen PII is used in schemes like government benefit fraud. That would be August 2020, when Maria Morales began to apply for fraudulent unemployment benefits using stolen identities that resulted in her stealing over $2 million from the U.S. taxpayer. And she did it for love.
As a result of her fraudulent claims, Morales received over 100 debit cards issued by the state of Nevada for unemployment insurance benefits distributed during the COVID pandemic. Each of these debit cards was created using personal identifying information of unwitting individuals from all over the United States. The debit cards mailed to Morales had the names of those individuals on both the debit cards and the envelope in which the cards were mailed. Upon receipt, Morales traveled to various ATMs near her home in Florida and withdrew thousands of dollars in unemployment insurance benefits.
Morales was convinced that she was filing and withdrawing funds for the business supposedly owned by the love of her life. A Ghanian man, Nerio Otoniel, with whom Morales maintained an online relationship during the scheme. Unfortunately, she realized that he may have manipulated her into unwittingly being a co-conspirator to fraud. Which begs the question, what do fraudsters do for love. For Otoniel, he hides.
True or not for Morales, the sweetheart scammer argument was deemed irrelevant to whether she intended to commit fraud. On June 21, 2025, Morales was found guilty of unemployment fraud.
Great job by the Department of Labor in this case.
Today’s Fraud of The Day is based on article “Wesley Chapel Woman, Ghanaian Accomplice, Defraud 100+ in $2M COVID Unemployment Insurance Scam and Identity Fraud” published by TechNadu News on June 21, 2025.
A federal jury in Tampa, Florida, has convicted a Wesley Chapel woman of stealing about $2 million in unemployment insurance benefits of over 100 victims through identity theft. Maria Morales, 58, obtained over 100 debit cards issued for the COVID-19 pandemic.
These cards, issued by the state of Nevada, were originally intended as crucial financial support for unemployed individuals across the nation. An accomplice of Morales used stolen personally identifiable information (PII) of individuals from various states to fraudulently file online unemployment benefit applications.
