Comments on: Would You Report Someone For Welfare Fraud?

By: When Christians Despise the Poor | Liz Boltz Ranfeld

When Christians Despise the Poor | Liz Boltz Ranfeld — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:17:19 +0000

[...] who post these things are wrong–that there are very few people who cheat the system, that those who do cheat the system are often not doing anything other than cheating a different system that those of us with money get [...]

By: smpat04

smpat04 — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 18:05:53 +0000

In addition to what Locke said, I want to address a few of those points.
1. Government programs like this are audited by outside firms for the exact reason you mentioned. SSA is audited by Grant Thornton, a link to the Auditor’s Report follows. (http://www.socialsecurity.gov/finance/2012/Auditor's%20Reports.pdf)

2. Whether or not liberals need people dependant on them is completely irrelevent to the conversation of how much fraud takes place in the social security system.

3. Intimidation of people deciding on benefits is absurd. I’d like to see one single substantiated case. In my area, our social security office has bullet proof glass between the grandma that sits behind the counter and everyone else. If the worker actually felt threatened I’m sure there are procedures in place to protect them (likely having to do with the 3 squad cars that seem to constantly be in the parking lot).

4. Now, this is just conjecture when talking about the SSA, but with the IRS the only people who get their accounts audited are the ones who put up red flags. Where do the red flags come from? Well, in this case it would likely be between the IRS and SSA if they talk (and if not that’s a huge issue). That way the 3k fraud detector people can be more effective since tehy’re focusing only on the cases most likely to be fraudulent.

As far as the rest of what you’ve said, I can’t see anything that immediately calls the statements into question. However, as Locke said, evidence has been submitted in support of the author’s case, now it’s your job to present evidence that either disagrees with the author or agrees with you.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 03:43:46 +0000

Thank you so much for your articles about welfare. I know I’m necro-bumping a bit here, but this is so important to me. I was on welfare during my teenage years (or rather, my family was) and it allowed me to become the college student, grad-school bound I am today. If someone I knew were committing welfare fraud, I would report them if I determined that they were causing other people problems or milking the system out of spite. I’ve never met someone committing fraud, and I’ve worked in public services like food pantries for years, but if the places I worked at found someone doing it, they’d be merciful, but stern.

By: Metodo IRECA

Metodo IRECA — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 07:25:38 +0000

Metodo IRECA…

[...]Would You Report Someone For Welfare Fraud? « Spritzophrenia[...]…

By: Locke

Locke — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 20:36:05 +0000

While you have given a whole bunch of reasoning to try and dispose of the evidence presented to you, the burden of proof lies on you.
If you think that people are committing fraud, present us with actual data, not how you feel the system works. This article(and its predecessor) were formed to show people who just use anecdotal evidence that the evidence doesn’t support their claims.
Also, don’t think that this post merely proves your first statement. I am wholly willing to listen to you, and I am. But you aren’t giving evidence, any links, and actual proof.
Please present me with links to the sources of your independent research, bar anecdotes.

By: Ruggster

Ruggster — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 03:57:57 +0000

You don’t need evidence because no matter what anyone ever tells you, you will not believe them anyway. Liberals need the public to be dependant upon them. I believe it is some sort of character flaw that they can’t admit to and therefore, can’t overcome. You say that the numbers only show 2% of welfare fraud being so low that it isn’t even worthy of reporting. You fail to mention that the 2% that is reported is reported by the same agency that depends on the money to maintain their own jobs. Do you think that they would report that they are doing horribly?? There are many reasons for misreporting as well. Intimidation bythe recipients of benefits has been noted. Could you imagine a young lady fraud investigator denying or overturning benefits of a someone that is physically larger than they are. It may not be the situation for all but it is for some. You fail to mention that there are many reports of misuse and misreporting within the agencies that go unanswered because the actual department that is assigned to handle these cases is overwhelmed with cases. You also fail to mention that when they get overwhelmed and request an increase in manpower to chase these cases and investigate them that they are urged to clear cases rather than follow through with them. Your own numbers indicate a clear problem. In the UK alone. 5.8 million on unemployment. 3000 investigators. That is 5800 cases for each fraud investigator. If they worked a 40 hour week they would only be able to devote 30 minutes on each case. So, the idea that these investigators are really investigating, is preposterous. They are likely encouraged to close cases rather than pursue them. 30 minutes is not near enough time to properly investigate anything like this. That is just unemployment alone. Don’t forget medicare and medicaid fraud, housing fraud and foodstamp fraud. If there is a benefit out there, you can bet there is someone out there that is defrauding it or looking for a way to. Keep in mind that the fraud is usually not something as simple as taking away a few zeros on your application. It could be as simple as an ill attempt at job searching, underreporting income, under reporting actual family members contributing to the household or adding family members that depend on the household. With the different hats I wear, I come across fraud all the time. You don’t even need to look far. I could cover more ground here but I think my point has been made. So, I challenge you to do your own independant research, rather than depend on the welfare programs research to defend your position.

By: Kris

Kris — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 16:25:40 +0000

From my experience with safety net programs, The “benefits” are so small nowadays that cheating becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. When I was on unemplyment I received about 120 dollars a week, which is nothing. So of course I didn’t report that had a little income from the Reserves (I had left active duty military about year before) because I would receive even less money. As another example, my twin brother is an epileptic on Access (AZ’s Medicaid). When he found a job as a temporary employee without benefits, he concealed this from the Access Office. somehow they found out and he was told he would be kicked off of the program the following month. As we all know, insurance companies usually don’t cover people with pre-existing, and when they do, the person pays through the nose for coverage. Anyway, long story short, he was laid off a couple weeks later so by sheer luck, he didn’t lose his Access coverage. But my point is, the system is so bureaucratized the even people who really need the help are forced to cheat, as was the case for me and my brother.

By: Emilie Hoyt

Emilie Hoyt — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:42:14 +0000

I would definitely report welfare fraud. While trying to create my own life for myself, I’ve made a series of bad life direction choices, forcing me to require state assistance. Knowledge through experience; welfare is one of the hardest things to actually qualify for nowadays, resulting from welfare fraud. You are required to go through many different work programs, that many people are too poor to be able to afford the transportation to, and if you miss one of those work meetings, you no longer qualify for state help, period. Also, the average amount a single person household recieves a month is $200. Imagine living off $50 a week. Its impossible in this economy, but this is the “help” our country offers its poor. Yet, we wonder why no one can get off welfare and make it on their own. How do they expect people to wean themselves off from it when all of their income is going to food and a place to live. Men and women who abuse the system disgust me. There are people out there starving on welfare, and having to choose between education or a job, because they can’t afford to survive off from what the state is forced to limit people to. People need to stop being so lazy, get out there and actually look for a job, and support their family the way most hard working americans do, on their own. Welfare is supposed to be a last resort.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 16:19:58 +0000

I have reported someone for welfare and prescription fraud (obtaining narcotic prescriptions in her child’s name) and so far nothing has happened to her. She was collecting welfare for three children that all lived with their father’s. It’s funny because the father had to jump through hoops to prove that they were living with him so that they wouldn’t follow through with child support claims (automatically begun because of the welfare), however, what proof did they obtain from her that she was eligible for welfare in the first place. None. She, of course, had the children’s SS# and DOB which is apparently good enough for the state of Washington. Ridiculous!

By: social security retirement benefits

social security retirement benefits — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 13:38:30 +0000

social security retirement benefits…

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