FraudNews
05-20-2013, 12:12 PM
Officials in Florida are doing everything they can to catch taxpayers who are defrauding the public-assistance programs. Just last year, roughly $1.35 billion was lost to the fraud.
However, officials with the Department of Children and Families, a department that deals with the majority of applications for Medicaid, food stamps and cash to needy families, said the agency was partnering up with Lexis-Nexis, a private information and analytics company, to utilize an identify-authentication process that banks and numerous financial institutions use.
This program has already been in place for the last five weeks in Central Florida to see if the applicants encountered issues with the online-screening tool, asking personal questions identify thieves could not have the answers too. The program noted three times the fraud level expected and no complaints from the applicants.
The remaining counties in the state will start using this technology by fall, which could save taxpayers about $60 million each year.
According to officials, the program is very different from the “pay and chase” approach to catch people committing assistance fraud.
David Wilkins, Florida’s DCF secretary, said the state ranks number one in identity theft in the United States, and it’s been too easy for them to steal from taxpayers who are in dire need of help. He said, with the technology’s implementation, the state can catch more of these thieves.
This latest clampdown goes along with a run of prominent fraud arrests that have occurred around the state including one of a mental-health counselor in Orlando, who is charged with a $3 million Medicaid scheme and using that money to go on vacation, purchase luxury vehicles and more.
In late April, Manatee County officials have obtained arrest warrants for over 100 people for suspected food stamp fraud.
Regardless of what some people think, fraud is a victim crime, especially when talking about public assistance. Since it’s taxpayers’ money, individual folks become fraud victims. When their benefits are taken from them, it makes them unable to get food or pay for rent and utilities for the month.
Most of the welfare fraud is found in the Medicaid sector – usually in the form of people hiding income to meet the income eligibility requirements. However, food stamp fraud follows closely behind with people using information of folks who have died to get benefits.
However, officials with the Department of Children and Families, a department that deals with the majority of applications for Medicaid, food stamps and cash to needy families, said the agency was partnering up with Lexis-Nexis, a private information and analytics company, to utilize an identify-authentication process that banks and numerous financial institutions use.
This program has already been in place for the last five weeks in Central Florida to see if the applicants encountered issues with the online-screening tool, asking personal questions identify thieves could not have the answers too. The program noted three times the fraud level expected and no complaints from the applicants.
The remaining counties in the state will start using this technology by fall, which could save taxpayers about $60 million each year.
According to officials, the program is very different from the “pay and chase” approach to catch people committing assistance fraud.
David Wilkins, Florida’s DCF secretary, said the state ranks number one in identity theft in the United States, and it’s been too easy for them to steal from taxpayers who are in dire need of help. He said, with the technology’s implementation, the state can catch more of these thieves.
This latest clampdown goes along with a run of prominent fraud arrests that have occurred around the state including one of a mental-health counselor in Orlando, who is charged with a $3 million Medicaid scheme and using that money to go on vacation, purchase luxury vehicles and more.
In late April, Manatee County officials have obtained arrest warrants for over 100 people for suspected food stamp fraud.
Regardless of what some people think, fraud is a victim crime, especially when talking about public assistance. Since it’s taxpayers’ money, individual folks become fraud victims. When their benefits are taken from them, it makes them unable to get food or pay for rent and utilities for the month.
Most of the welfare fraud is found in the Medicaid sector – usually in the form of people hiding income to meet the income eligibility requirements. However, food stamp fraud follows closely behind with people using information of folks who have died to get benefits.