SOCIAL SECURITY INVESTIGATES BENEFITS FRAUD - POSTAL EMPLOYEE SENTENCED TO 30 MONTHS

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Social Security Administration (SSA) reported a successful prosecution for disability benefits fraud. Disability benefits fraud is taken seriously by the SSA and is vigorously investigated. Other forms of fraud, such as the use the fraudulent Social Security Number to seek fraudulent employment or to seek non-SSA benefits (such as medical benefits fraud, and IRS fraud) are not actively pursued by OIG of SSA. We have discussed this problem with SSA fraud investigations earlier in this blog. While this story is not about Identity Theft it does illustrate where the SSA puts its investigative efforts.

The New Haven office of the SSA investigated a woman employed by the United States Postal Service who fraudulently received $137,591 in disability benefits from both SSA between 1996 and 2005. She left the Postal Service in 1996, and filed claims for disability benefits in April and September 1999, alleging that she was unable to work because of physical ailments that prevented her from employment. The woman was granted SSA disability benefits in 1996 and received benefits until her conviction in August 2005. The United States Postal Inspection Service obtained extensive video surveillance footage of the woman between August 2000 and April 2001 which showed her engaging in activities inconsistent with her alleged disabilities. Subsequent investigation determined that she had made misleading and fraudulent statements and representations about her medical condition to SSA during the benefit application process.