LYKENS, Pa. — A Dauphin County woman has been charged with 120 felonies after State Police claim she made more than $13,000 of charges on a relative's pandemic unemployment relief card in 2020.
Allazay Erdman, 25, of Lykens, allegedly made $13,040 in purchases over a two-month span, according to State Police.
Authorities began investigating when the victim reported the suspected fraud in June of 2021, according to the criminal complaint affidavit. The victim said she and Erdman were living together for about a year, from 2019 to early 2020.
After she moved out, the victim said she applied for a Pandemic Unemployment Assistance ReliaCard from U.S. Bank, and shared her login information and password with Erdman. Police did not say if the victim indicated why she chose to do so.
The victim said she never received the card, and began to suspect that it was sent to her old address, where Erdman was still living. She said she questioned Erdman about the card several times, but was assured by Erdman that the card "must still be in the mail" each time, according to police.
Finally, in January 2021, the victim questioned Erdman again, and Erdman gave her the card, which showed obvious signs of wear, police said.
When the victim checked the card's balance, it had $1 in it, according to police.
The victim later gave police a ReliaCard disputed transactions form that showed a total of 120 unauthorized purchases totalling more than $13,000 had been made on the card from September to November of 2020.
The charges were conducted in the area of Williamstown, where Erdman was living at the time, according to police.
Erdman faces 120 felony charges of accessing a device issued to another person who did not authorize use, according to the complaint.
She is currently free on unsecured bail set at $5,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 6, according to court records.
