The state of Kentucky has been dealing with issues as they try to distribute funds for unemployment to individuals in need. State officials say an influx of fake applications has severely hampered their efforts to get money to people.
"Unfortunately, it's going to take a bit of time with these because a couple of bad apples can make this challenge that much more difficult. For instance, we had somebody apply for unemployment for Tupac Shakur here in Kentucky," Governor Andy Beshear said during a recent COVID-19 press conference being broadcast on live TV.
"That person probably thought they were being funny, except for the fact that because of them, we have to go through so many other claims. One person thinking they were funny, using someone else's identity is going to make tens of thousands of other people wait. That's not OK. We can't be doing that, and we shouldn't be doing that," he added.
While there may have been many fake names being sent in as an attempt to scam the state out of money, there just so happened to be a real person whose legal name is Tupac Shakur living in Kentucky.
Shakur, a 44-year old man who chose to change his name after adopting the Muslim faith, says he lost his job as a cook at a mom-and-pop type restaurant in March after the state closed it down over the fear of COVID-19 spreading. He sent in his application for unemployment benefits and got a letter back four days later rejecting it.
“I’ve been struggling for like the last month trying to figure out how to pay the bills,” Shakur said.
After hearing his name was mentioned as being a joke, Shakur got into contact with a media channel in Lexington who then relayed his information to the Governor's office to prove that Tupac Shakur was a real person in Kentucky. Governor Beshear then personally called Shakur to apologize and said the state was working to correct the issue.
Source: Blavity.com