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  1. #11
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Posts
    8,238

    Default Re: Wic

    Quote Quoting llworking
    View Post
    The moral of my story?: I am pretty sure that there is no rampant WIC fraud going on and that there is no major investigative division of WIC out to stamp out fraud.
    It is true that the majority of WIC and food stamp recipients don’t commit fraud (at least not major fraud) to get benefits. But there are major fraud schemes that involve these programs. The DOJ announced busting a major fraud operation just a few months ago in which the conspiracy participants bilked millions of dollars from the government. The DOJ press release explains more details of it. I suppose it depends on what you mean by “major” but the Department of Agriculture does have its own criminal investigative unit, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) that investigates fraud cases in the Department’s benefits programs. For a big conspiracy like the one in the press release OIG coordinates with the FBI and other agencies.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    16,474

    Default Re: Wic

    Quote Quoting Taxing Matters
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    It is true that the majority of WIC and food stamp recipients don’t commit fraud (at least not major fraud) to get benefits. But there are major fraud schemes that involve these programs. The DOJ announced busting a major fraud operation just a few months ago in which the conspiracy participants bilked millions of dollars from the government. The DOJ press release explains more details of it. I suppose it depends on what you mean by “major” but the Department of Agriculture does have its own criminal investigative unit, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) that investigates fraud cases in the Department’s benefits programs. For a big conspiracy like the one in the press release OIG coordinates with the FBI and other agencies.
    Ok...well that of course was large scale criminal fraud and WIC would have been secondary, the main fraud was against the food stamp program. That was some darned elaborate fraud too. Actually setting up 14 phony grocery stores, stocked with actual prop food to pass inspection is incredible. I am not surprised that they got caught, I cannot imagine being able to sustain that elaborate of a scheme over the long haul.

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Posts
    1,142

    Default Re: Wic

    I agree with llworking, my sources point out that WIC programs are administered differently, by different agencies, and that there is much more liberal verification, much less emphasis put on tracking down fraud simply because, as was also pointed out, it just doesn't amount to much assistance, has higher than poverty level guidelines, doesn't take a ton of resources out of anyone's pockets, is pretty much guaranteed to be putting food into someone's mouth, is pretty time consuming and labor intensive to get on and continue to verify for. But still, the idea of someone working with the program, working, say at the local health department or someplace showing someone how to qualify fraudulently is very repulsive. They're actually dangerous. And the people who received the benefits would still be liable for fraud, even though they were allowed to do this fraud, even assisted in this fraud by someone who works for the agency.

    In my long experience with social services, I have seen some well meaning idiots hired by various programs who played fast and loose with the certifications and income verifications thinking they were "helping" the clients. What happened was that eventually both they and their ineligible clients got in a boat load of trouble, and even if, as in one case, the agency worker actually dropped dead before they could be penalized for their misbehavior, the parties they certified incorrectly in an effort to help them were still liable and were still penalized heavily.

    These people should stop this immediately. Besides, if they find that they qualify for WIC through using this bogus address, it would be scary easy for them to think they could move on to other programs, such as SNAP, doing this. And since there are a multitude of people waiting in line to turn them in, including the poster, and since this fraud does involve a worker in the program....they just might decide to make an example of them.

    Every single prosecution, every time any administering agency takes action on some case of "welfare fraud" of any size shape or description and it does make the papers, it has a great deterrent effect on people who are thinking they can get away with it. The agencies, which of course don't prosecute every case they happen to catch, will use the publicity as much as possible.

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    1,421

    Default Re: Wic

    I can say that Ohio has prosecuted these types of cases.

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    16,474

    Default Re: Wic

    Quote Quoting Ohiogal
    View Post
    I can say that Ohio has prosecuted these types of cases.
    Wic or Snap?

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    1,421

    Default Re: Wic

    Both.
    I have seen these cases in my county being prosecuted.

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