Public Assistance Fraud | County of Lincoln, NC (2024)

FAQs

What is the penalty for EBT fraud in NC? ›

A person found guilty of welfare fraud can be (1) fined, (2) placed in jail, or (3) fined and placed in jail. People guilty of eligibility fraud may receive an even stiffer penalty. That penalty could include all of the following: a fine, jail sentence and mandatory repayment of all benefits received.

What Can Be Done? If you suspect that someone is cheating the Department of Social Services, contact the DSS Fraud Hotline at: 336-570-6488 or call the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services through its CARE-LINE at 1-800-662-7030, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Penalties for Welfare Fraud

Where the value of the public assistance is of an aggregate value of $200 or more in any 12 consecutive months, the offense is upgraded to a third degree felony, with penalties of up to five years in prison or five years of probation, and a $10,000 fine.

If we have evidence to suspect that fraud may have been committed, we will interview the benefit claimant, their partner or anyone else that we think may have contributed to an offence. These are recorded interviews carried out under caution and in accordance with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.

(1) Defraud the Medical Assistance Program. (2) Obtain, by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises of material fact, any of the money or property owned by, or under the custody or control of, the Medical Assistance Program. A violation of this subsection is a Class H felony.

If you think you've been the victim of a scam, or if you want to learn to be a smarter consumer, call Attorney General Josh Stein's consumer hotline toll free within North Carolina at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or (919) 716-6000.

Under PA Code § 7314 the penalties are as follows: $2,500 or more: A second degree felony of the second degree. This can mean up to 10 years of prison time and a $25,000 fine. Between $1,000 and $2,499: A third degree felony.

The federal law states fraud (intentional program violation) carries the following punishment schedule for the individual: first conviction of fraud - one year of food stamps ineligibility. second conviction of fraud – two-year ineligibility. third conviction of fraud - lifetime ban.

Improper welfare payments, including welfare fraud and abuse, are estimated to account for 9.2% of all federal welfare payments and total $101 billion in fiscal year 2023. The estimate stems from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) [i] and the General Accounting Office (GAO) reports.

What happens if you get caught lying for food stamps in Florida? ›

If the value of the fraud for the past 12 months in total is $200 or above but below $20,000, the crime is a third-degree felony which is punishable up to 5 years in prison and a $5,000 fine. This crime is ranked as level 1 out of 10 under the Florida Criminal Punishment Code.

Welfare Fraud in the First Degree is a class B felony that can send you to prison for up to 25 years. For you to be found guilty, the prosecution must prove that you fraudulently obtained public assistance benefits worth over one million dollars.

No replacement benefits may be issued until you have reported your compromised EBT card lost or stolen. To report your card stolen, request a new card, and change your PIN, please call EBT Customer Service at 888-328-6399, or go to https://www.ebtedge.com/.

A person is guilty of welfare fraud in the fourth degree when he or she commits a fraudulent welfare act and thereby takes or obtains public assistance benefits, and when the value of the public assistance benefits exceeds one thousand dollars. Welfare fraud in the fourth degree is a class E felony.

(3) falsely make, forge, counterfeit, alter, change, deface, or erase; or cause or procure to be falsely made, forged, counterfeited, altered, changed, defaced, or erased any record or plat of land; or. (4) willingly act or assist in any of the premises, with an intention to defraud any person.

Upon conviction, the person must be fined not more than five thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; (2) felony if the amount of food stamps fraudulently acquired or used is of a value of more than two thousand dollars but less than ten thousand dollars.

According to Texas penal code, section 33.011, welfare and food stamp fraud punishment can range from a misdemeanor to a third-degree felony.