Going Undercover to Uncover Fraud
It used to be that federal agencies left undercover work to the Federal Bureau of Investigation but now, estimates say that around 40 government agencies have their own staff to do the often dangerous job. A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) investigative agent went...
Shortcut to Temporary Success
Today’s “Fraud of the Day” is based on an article entitled, “Waterbury grocery store worker sentenced in Food Stamp fraud” posted on WTNH.com. A Waterbury man was sentenced Thursday in Hartford to 30 months in prison for defrauding the federal stamp program.
Online Benefits
There are many advantages to online shopping. With a click of a button, traffic, long lines and big crowds at the mall disappear and a desired item is on its way to your house. Hard-to-find treasures can be discovered through online marketplaces...
Trafficking Stop
There is a serious black market for food stamps, and the government is even more serious about cracking down on food stamp trafficking. Cleveland.com has the story of a father-and-son team in Ohio, who illegally netted almost a million dollars by trading food stamps...
Phony Baloney
The federally funded Women, Infant and Children (WIC) program provides healthy foods, health care referrals and nutrition education to at-risk low-income pregnant and postpartum women and infants and children up to age five. Eligible beneficiaries receive food vouchers that can be exchanged for nutritious...
Oh, the Humanity!
Have you ever experienced the blood-boiling irritation induced by people who refuse to own up to their wrongdoings, even after they've been caught red-handed? Take the recent case of a 29-year-old Ohio man, who, after a three-year stint illegally collecting food stamps, blamed his...
Family-run Fraud
A father, his three sons and their alleged conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud are the subject of today's ''Fraud of the Day.'' An article in The Times of Northwest Indiana states that the family of four was indicted for their purported roles...
Fueling Fraud
Criminals commit fraudulent acts for all sorts of reasons. They may be under financial pressure, need to support an addictive habit or just because they can. A story posted on Syracuse.com tells the story of the widow of a murdered pizzeria owner and an...
Hungry for Fraud
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2012, the annual expenditure for food by a single consumer was approximately $3,900. The Democrat & Chronicle describes the story of a grocery store operator who received nearly twice that amount in food stamp...
Hungry for Fraud
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which serves millions of low-income people in the United States, is the largest type of government aid available for domestic hunger. (Perhaps that's why it is frequently targeted by fraudsters looking to make a few extra million dollars.)...