Letter: Time to overhaul Ohio's unemployment system to eliminate fraud

As a local business owner having gotten (and continuing to get) state unemployment applications for employees that are still currently employed here full time, I am getting very annoyed!

Trying to get through to the people in the Columbus office is basically impossible. They want everything done online.

Inside job:More than $10 million stolen from Ohio unemployment system

OK, so here is an idea: If the fraudsters had to spend as much time to fill out forms and actually verify who they are just as we do to tell them it's fraud, it would promptly quit!

Here is another idea: How about going to all paper checks and the mail system and no more direct deposits, that way it won’t show up in the fraudster's mailbox; it gets sent to the employee's home address (as shown on their tax return).

Or better yet, use the local Job and Family Services that all counties have as the only way to file for unemployment, thereby having instant actual identity verification. Problem solved.

And to sum it up, if the Statehouse knows it’s fraudulent as they are admitting, and they continue doing direct deposits, well how dumb can you get?

Oh, here is the best idea yet: Turn those 87,000 new IRS agents loose tracking, let’s see, uh, oh yeah, like the bank routing numbers, account numbers, and names attached to those direct deposit accounts where the money was sent.

I urge everyone to contact their representative, and the governor demanding a stop to this utter nonsense.

I also urge all small business owners to stand together and demand reform away from this system rife with fraud!

Let’s remind them, they are elected.

Paul Schlabach, Fredericksburg

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Ohio's flawed unemployment system needs an overhaul