Is This Welfare Fraud?

[KeithJ]

A friend is allowing her daughter and son-in-law to use her EBT card to purchase groceries for themselves. Doesn't this constitute Welfare Fraud? I'm afraid they're going to get in trouble for this.

 

[Ohiogal]

A friend is allowing her daughter and son-in-law to use her EBT card to purchase groceries for themselves. Doesn't this constitute Welfare Fraud? I'm afraid they're going to get in trouble for this.

Do the daughter and son live with her? How do you know this? Why is this your business?

 

[BL]

A friend is allowing her daughter and son-in-law to use her EBT card to purchase groceries for themselves. Doesn't this constitute Welfare Fraud? I'm afraid they're going to get in trouble for this.

There are tons of folks that misuse the FS program.

The Gov./State is not going to investigate them all , even if true.

Recipients can also "authorize" someone else to use the card, although it's suppose to be for the recipient's use.

What's your proof of fraud?

 

[TheGeekess]

A friend is allowing her daughter and son-in-law to use her EBT card to purchase groceries for themselves. Doesn't this constitute Welfare Fraud? I'm afraid they're going to get in trouble for this.

What US state? US Law ONLY.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

Are you sure OP did not say to take her card, go buy food for her that they would buy, if they were buying it for themselves, then gifting it to them?

 

[commentator]

There is pretty much I. D. involved, and one has to have the PIN number for the card to get the food paid for, but yes, really, she could give them the card and designate for them to get the food instead of her. It would be pretty stupid of her if they're not shopping for her or she's not planning on sharing the food with them, since there's only so much on the card each month. Anything they get will definitely be food she does not have for herself.

EBT allotment is done on the basis of "household" and if son and daughter in law are living in the house with this person, they either are on the card eligibility account, they are committing fraud by living there illegally (which will come to light very quickly) or there is a strict "purchase and prepare" statement that the woman would have to sign saying that although she lives in the house with someone else, she purchases and prepares her own food. It could be elder abuse, if they are demanding that she give them the card and using it while she scrimps for food, but I bet that's not the case. It may be a matter of just she didn't want to have to go to grocery store this week, so they did it for her.

It would be very easy for an eligibility check to determine if the couple is living with her, and if they are not, and they're buying the food to take to their house, as I said, she's giving away food that she is supposed to be using for her own benefit. Her choice, actually.

You say you are a friend. Do you think she is doing this voluntarily, have you discussed it with her?
If you feel very strongly about it, and want to get involved, why don't you call the fraud hotline in your state and report her? It won't get her jailed or anything, but it may get her audited and required to provide more evidence about her eligibility status. If there is suspected coercion, where the daughter and son in law are demanding that she give them her EBT card to use, this would probably show them it's not a good idea, might bring the issues to light.

 

[sandyclaus]

A friend is allowing her daughter and son-in-law to use her EBT card to purchase groceries for themselves. Doesn't this constitute Welfare Fraud? I'm afraid they're going to get in trouble for this.

FYI: This is a reprise from his original thread: https://forum.freeadvice.com/civil-litigation-46/how-long-before-i-cant-just-make-them-leave-598778.html where he says this:

I don't know what happened to the rest of my post - it was several hundred words long... I'll try again.
we have hosted an elderly lady in our home for the past year, ever since her trailer burned down. Her grown children make no contributions to her care; in fact, they regularly present her with sob stories designed to get her to "loan" them her Social Security money, as well as using her Food Stamps card to buy groceries for themselves (that's welfare fraud, isn't it?). We have not taken a single penny from her since Day 1. About three months ago we provided "temporary shelter" for her grown son and his wife who had just been released on parole for a drug-related charge and had nowhere else to go (they had been staying in the trailer with her). So for the past three months they have been sleeping on an air mattress in our living room while Grandma occupies our spare bedroom. My question is, is there a time after which I can no longer simply say, "Enough is enough, you all need to leave."?

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

Apparently, Keith and his wife have been unable to say enough is enough.

 

[BL]

Apparently, Keith and his wife have been unable to say enough is enough.

Or instead of paying the money to evict want an easy route through fraud.