Smoke and Mirrors
Magicians have been known to use “smoke and mirrors” to create a distraction that leads their audience to believe magic has occurred. Fraudsters often use money laundering to create a similar effect by...
View ArticleThe Perfect Plot
Filmmaking is a risky business and in order to get investors to commit to a project, movie producers often look for tax incentives to entice a production company to come to a particular location to...
View ArticleStrike ‘Em Out!
Let’s take a break from our daily examples of Fraud and Punishment to highlight the “largest takedown ever” by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. CNBC.com picked up the story after the Department of...
View ArticleSerious as a Heart Attack
Just as a massive heart attack can cause extensive damage to the heart, a massive fraud attack can also deliver a significant amount of damage. Tax fraud schemes, which are organized by opportunistic...
View ArticleBalancing the Scales
It’s no fun to be dizzy—whether the condition is caused by a virus, standing up too quickly or amusement park rides—dizziness causes nausea and no one likes to feel sick and unbalanced. An article in...
View ArticleOh…the Irony
Isn’t it ironic how some fraudsters will work very hard to carry off a scam, but earning an honest living is not an option? Today’s “Fraud of the Day” focuses on a married couple who told multiple lies...
View ArticleA Drop in the Bucket
Fraud can go undetected when small amounts of money are taken over time. An article published by the Capital Gazette tells the story of one woman who ran a small scale tax fraud scam and stole more...
View ArticleBad Apple in the Big Apple
As reported in the New York Daily News, today’s tale is of a New Yorker who admitted to a long-term fraud against the Social Security Administration (SSA) over disability benefits. The New Yorker...
View ArticleInside Job
Fraudsters often try to fly under the radar so that their illegal acts can go undetected. This often requires some help from the inside where fraudsters abuse their positions of power to steal from...
View ArticleLoud and Clear
According to a survey published by the Hearing Review, mid-range hearing aids can average around $4,000 a pair. A custom pair fitted by an audiologist can cost close to double that amount and many...
View ArticleIn Hot Water
Hot tubs are great for anyone with sore muscles or chronic pain. According to a Department of Justice press release, the person at the center of today’s “Fraud of the Day” spent up to 15 hours a day in...
View ArticleRisky Business
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) exists to protect vulnerable children who are at risk for being neglected or abused. The state agency provides permanent families for...
View ArticleDriving Away with Fraud
Medicaid beneficiaries are eligible to receive rides to and from the doctor’s office, hospital or another medical office if their non-emergency care is approved by the government health insurance...
View ArticleStarving Artist
Stolen Identity Refund Fraud (SIRF) is estimated to cost the U.S. Treasury more than $2 billion a year. This type of fraud involves using stolen Social Security Numbers and personal identifying...
View ArticleGovernment Identity Theft Is Dropping…Or Is It?
When consumers hear about identity theft, their minds may instantly go to their credit cards or their bank accounts. And to be honest, the overwhelming majority of identity theft crimes involve the...
View ArticleJustice Served Twice
Witnesses are not always needed in order to convict someone of a crime. A story published by Home Health Care News tells about a case against a woman convicted for taking part in a hospice-related...
View ArticleThe Best Ever
Medicaid can be considered the best health care plan that ever existed for people with low income and few assets. The government program provides coverage for myriad health problems, and beneficiaries...
View ArticleA Trail of Fraud
For some criminals, fraud is self-perpetuating. One successful take leads to another and the cycle repeats, until they get caught. According to an article published in the Post Independent, a woman...
View ArticleFueling Fraud
Beginning in May 2007, the Energy Independence and Security Act required petroleum refiners and importers to have renewable fuel in their product mixes. They could meet this requirement by purchasing...
View ArticleBlack Belt in Justice
Jiu jitsu is a martial art that requires a great deal of physical strength to outsmart and disable an opponent. (So one would reason that if a person claimed they were disabled, the chances for...
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