Housing and Disaster Fraud

Today’s “Fraud of the Day” is based on an article entitled, “Elmont woman to serve up to 3 years for welfare fraud, AG says” posted on NewsDay.com. An Elmont woman will serve up to 3 years in prison for her role in what prosecutors said was a scheme that allowed her to receive welfare benefits for which she wasn’t eligible.

Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a federal jury found a Bastrop farmer guilty last week of creating shell farms so he could receive more than $1.6 million in subsidy payments to which he was not entitled.

There are many decisions made in life that can alter our future, including the choice to attend college, move to a new location for a job, get married, or become a parent. The former head of the St. Clair Housing Commission in Michigan made...

New York’s Geneva Housing Authority (GHA) strives to improve the quality of life for its community’s lower income residents. The organization administers public and private housing assistance programs that promote decent, affordable and safe housing opportunities, while encouraging economic self-sufficiency. Unfortunately, one of the...

In 2012, Superstorm Sandy was one of the most destructive hurricanes to ever blow up the Atlantic coastline, ultimately causing an estimated $65 billion in damage. The second most-costly hurricane in U.S. history also opened the floodgates for fraudsters to take advantage of the...

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) aims to provide low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled with the ability to afford safe and sanitary housing in the private market through its Housing Choice Voucher program. Two landlords in Colorado took advantage of...

There are lots of things that are common to share with a friend, such as a bill for sushi, the cost of a cab ride or a banana split. An article posted on NOLA.com tells about a woman who took advantage of the Federal...

It's important to have confidence as a business owner. If you present yourself as competent and knowledgeable, you will have a good chance at being successful as long as the product or service you are selling is legal and in high demand. An article...

Farmers buy crop insurance to help manage the multitude of risks involved in crop production. Weather and pests are hard to control, so farmers buy an insurance policy to reduce the risk of damage to approved commodities and the potential revenue loss. An article...

Fraud is like a whirlwind. Once a criminal is successful at collecting money or benefits they don't deserve, they often get caught up in the ruse and greediness causes the deception to continue through additional schemes. (If it worked once, why not try it...