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REV 7/11/14 1
California Department of Social Services presents…….
How to Report Welfare Fraud
Report Welfare FraudState of California Fraud Hotline: 1-800-344-TIPS
(8477)
REV 7/11/14 2
WHAT IS WELFARE FRAUD?
Welfare fraud happens when
someone who is applying for or
receiving CalFresh or CalWORKs
provides false information or
knowingly fails to report any
mandated changes in their
current situation or
sells or trades their CalFresh Benefits for
anything other than food
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THE MOST COMMON TYPES
OF WELFARE FRAUD
Knowingly failing to report mandatory additional income or other benefits.
Claiming to be a single parent while the child’s other parent actually lives in the home.
Submitting a claim for a child who does not live in the home or for fictitious children.
Collecting benefits from another state along with collecting benefits from California.
Trafficking EBT cards (Allowing use of or selling EBT cards to others).This includes selling or trading benefits online through social media such as Craigslist, Facebook and Twitter
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Examples of EBT Trafficking
Selling, trading or giving away EBT
food benefits.
Allowing a retailer to buy EBT food
benefits in exchange for cash.
Letting someone else use EBT food
benefits intended for you.
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Examples of Fraud in California In one county a
husband and wife applied for cash-aid on their alleged low income.
The couple failed to report that the wife owned a liquor store and recycling business.
The wife also drove a $76,000 luxury car and had almost $150,000 hidden in her dresser drawer.
In another county, a woman used a fake Social Security number to obtain almost $2,000 in cash aid and CalFresh.
Retail stores exchanging cash for CalFresh EBT Cards.
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REPORTING WELFARE FRAUDWhy should we report Welfare Fraud activities?Reporting Welfare Fraud prevents, detects, and deters fraudulent activities.
Reporting Welfare Fraud allows for the prosecution of those who unlawfully obtain public aid.
Reporting Welfare Fraud protects the interests of those in genuine need and conserves taxpayer resources.
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What information is needed to report fraud?
Who? What?
Where? When?
Why/How?
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WHAT INFORMATION WILL I BE ASKED WHEN I MAKE A REPORT?
Information that will be helpful with the investigation includes:
May you be contacted? If so, what is your name and phone number? (Your identity can be kept confidential).
When was the fraud taking place and for how long?
How are they committing welfare fraud? Examples: An unreported adult is living in their home. They have assets that have not been reported to the case worker. They have not provided the caseworker
their current address. They are trying to sell or trade their EBT card.
Where do they live? (address/county)
Who is the person committing fraud?
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Investigations are conducted by the county
Welfare Fraud Hotline
Counties are mandated to conduct investigations of alleged criminal conduct within the CalWORKs and CalFresh (Food Stamp) programs.
To report welfare fraud contact the appropriate County Agency directly.
Or
If you need assistance in determining which county to call contact the Welfare Fraud Hotline at:
1-800-344-8477 or by e-mail at:
[email protected] Frau
d
REV 7/11/14 10
Additional Fraud Reporting Resources
To report suspected Social Security abuse:
Office of Inspector General Department of Health & Human Services ATTN: HOTLINE PO Box 23489 Washington, DC 20026
Phone - 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477) Fax - 1-800-223-8164
To report In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Fraud:
DHCS IHSS Fraud Hotline: 1-888-717-8302 Email: [email protected] On-line at:
https://apps.dhcs.ca.gov/AutoForm2/default.aspx?af=1828
To report Child Abuse: Child Protective Services: http://www.cdss.ca.gov/cdssweb/PG93.htm CPS Hot lines:
http://www.cdss.ca.gov/cdssweb/PG20.htm Child Welfare Information Gateway:
http://www.childwelfare.gov/responding/reporting.cfm
To report suspected Medi-Cal fraud or elder abuse:
California Department of Justice Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud Elder Abuse P.O. Box 944255 Sacramento, CA 94244-2550
Phone Toll-free: (800) 722-0432 Attorney General's Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud & Elder Abuse
On-line at: https://oag.ca.gov/bmfea/reporting
To report EBT trafficking: USDA’s OIG hotlines:
To report suspected WIC abuse: File a complaint by calling (800) 852-5770,
ask for the Program Integrity Unit. File a complaint by writing to:
Program Integrity UnitWIC Supplemental Nutrition Branch3901 Lennane DriveSacramento, CA 95834
File a complaint by email to:[email protected]
eFax: (916) 440-5575
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Welfare Fraud Investigations can result in a variety of outcomes
A denial of benefits
A reduction of benefits
A discontinuance of benefits
Restitution action
In cases where there is clear criminal intent to commit fraud, and the amount of fraud is significant, a complete and detailed report is sent to the District Attorney’s Office with a request for criminal prosecution.
Once a conviction is obtained, the offender could: Be ordered to pay restitution Receive a jail sentence in
county jail Receive a state prison
sentence
State of California Fraud Hotline: 1-800-344-TIPS
(8477)
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