When the Left Hand Doesn’t Know What the Right Hand is Doing
In some situations where there are numerous people working together, it is hard to know what each person is doing to accomplish a shared goal. (Lack of transparency can leave room for lots of dysfunction.) But, in situations where there are smaller numbers of...
Smoked
Smoked salmon had a part to play in today’s “Fraud of the Day” article. A Gouldsboro, Maine woman, who was on the hook for embezzling money from a smoked salmon seafood business she managed, also committed unemployment fraud while working at a café/deli in...
Illinois Man Collects Unemployment Insurance Benefits While Earning Paycheck
Today's Fraud of the Day describes the case of an Alton, Illinois man, who was sentenced to five years of probation for defrauding the unemployment insurance program. (He got off easy if you ask me.) Unemployment insurance fraud happens when someone makes a false...
An Inside Job
A Detroit, Mich., woman is facing charges for defrauding the state of Michigan all from the comfort of her couch. Brandi Hawkins is charged with wire fraud and money laundering. She is also accused of defrauding the state of Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA)...
No Rhyme or Reason
To qualify for and collect unemployment benefits under the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency, an individual must meet certain eligibility requirements. (Benefits aren’t just handed out without a rhyme or reason.) A Detroit man tried to circumvent those requirements and committed unemployment fraud in the...
Bad Habit
Everyone has a vice, whether it be procrastination, bingeing on Netflix, spending too much time on social media, or something much worse. A Waterbury, Connecticut man, who admitted he had a heroin habit, conspired with his ex-wife to support this bad habit by lying...
Biding Time
While fraudsters are generally selfish and greedy
people, they tend to be very patient when orchestrating a scam. A San Francisco
Bay area resident bided his time while secretly working to steal a quarter of a
million dollars in an unemployment
insurance fraud scheme. (Fortunately, the...
Vulnerable
People who enjoy caring for others can have a rewarding career as a home health aide. Those who choose the profession take care for vulnerable patients who suffer from chronic illnesses or disabilities, are elderly, or need care in their own homes. Even though...
Entitlement Can Be a Dirty Word
Entitlement can be a dirty word depending on how it is used. It can either mean that an individual has a legitimate right to something, or it can mean that someone has a belief that they deserve certain privileges or special treatment, when they...
Working at Not Having a Job
In order
to legally collect unemployment benefits in California, an individual must have
past earnings that meet certain minimum thresholds; be unemployed through no
fault of their own; and, be able, available and actively seeking a job. An
Anaheim, California woman circumvented this well-defined process by...