topic Re: Benefits Scammers Caught Thanks To Facebook Posts in Community Chat

Benefits Scammers Caught Thanks To Facebook Posts

handygal2 — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 12:01:29 GMT

Scores of former New York City police and firefighters were convicted of swindling disability benefits since charges were filed in 2014. These ranged from $30,000 to $50,000 a year. Many of the claims were for suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression, after searching for victims at Ground Zero after the 9/11/2001 attacks.

Most of the 137 individuals involved copped pleas, and a few were found guilty at trials. $25 million worth of benefits were forfeited or ordered paid back.

The claimants were exposed by posting photos on Facebook bragging about living "the good life."

Heres a link to the article:

http://nyp.st/2nVoewU

Re: Benefits Scammers Caught Thanks To Facebook Posts

CouponQueen — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 12:44:58 GMT

While I am always glad to see stealing/scammers of the system caught. I seriously doubt they are (or we are of our tax dollars) going to see much in the way of repayment of that amount of money.

Re: Benefits Scammers Caught Thanks To Facebook Posts

dex — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 12:47:09 GMT

That is disgusting but only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to scammers.I hope there is an investigations into all government payouts that have gone on for years.

Re: Benefits Scammers Caught Thanks To Facebook Posts

chrystaltree — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 13:48:44 GMT

So, in addition to being thieves, they were stupid.

Re: Benefits Scammers Caught Thanks To Facebook Posts

proudlyfromNJ — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 13:51:55 GMT

The ones with the horrible back problems show themselves playing golf and shoveling snow on facebook!

Re: Benefits Scammers Caught Thanks To Facebook Posts

NeNe1010 — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 14:40:53 GMT

Wow, so sad for the people who really do need those benefits.

Re: Benefits Scammers Caught Thanks To Facebook Posts

Spurt — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 13:49:25 GMT

There is an investigation going on in my state for this very thing, between a big organization and an employee who apparently did the same thing scamming benefits.......

An employee where my friend works tried to do the same thing....the employee was out on paid Family Medical Leave for back issues---she just couldnt even sit in a chair all day she was in such pain--(or so she told her co-workers and her Supervisor)--well another employee video taped her at a Fiesta Celebration dancing up a storm.......the employer was too knd in my opinion....when presented with the evidence they told her to get in the office pronto or she would be fired......they should have made her pay back the benefits she received!

Re: Benefits Scammers Caught Thanks To Facebook Posts

2blonde — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 15:24:34 GMT

A fool and his (or her) money are soon parted.

Re: Benefits Scammers Caught Thanks To Facebook Posts

SunValley — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 16:00:29 GMT

People profiting from tragic events are disgusting, and it disheartens me that there are so many in every level of society. And then there are cases where people really do need help and are denied. I know of two.

Re: Benefits Scammers Caught Thanks To Facebook Posts

HappyDaze — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 16:09:32 GMT

Disgusting but not surprising, sadly.

Re: Benefits Scammers Caught Thanks To Facebook Posts

mstyrion 1 — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 16:18:44 GMT

@Spurt wrote:
There is an investigation going on in my state for this very thing, between a big organization and an employee who apparently did the same thing scamming benefits.......

An employee where my friend works tried to do the same thing....the employee was out on paid Family Medical Leave for back issues---she just couldnt even sit in a chair all day she was in such pain--(or so she told her co-workers and her Supervisor)--well another employee video taped her at a Fiesta Celebration dancing up a storm.......the employer was too knd in my opinion....when presented with the evidence they told her to get in the office pronto or she would be fired......they should have made her pay back the FMLA benefits she received!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FMLA doesn't pay benefits. It allows the employee to be out of work for an extended period of time while preserving his or her job. Paid sick leave or some type of disability plan or Work Comp would pay benefits, but if this employee were simply out on FMLA, she did not receive pay under FMLA.

You shouldn't "assume" until all the facts are known .

Re: Benefits Scammers Caught Thanks To Facebook Posts

Puzzle Piece — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 16:29:10 GMT

I am glad those people were caught. Hope many others are caught as well.

Forcing them to pay back the money plus interest would be a very good punishment and also add fines or pink slips.

Re: Benefits Scammers Caught Thanks To Facebook Posts

garmer — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 17:07:51 GMT

I still remember a family being interviewed right after that happened. There was a mother and 4 kids. (think 4) The one son was 18, none of them were very young.

The father had been killed. The oldest was talking about how they didn't know what they were going to do without any money coming into the house.

He was explaining that his mother had just quit her job. She didn't have time to go to work anymore because she was too busy going from agency to agency finding all the financial assistance she could get because of the attack. That took all her time.

Although the oldest was grown, he didn't work either. He wasn't looking for work. They were planning on living on what ever they could make off of their dead dad.

Now IMO, having this mindset was bad enough. Admitting to it on TV, left me in disbelief.

I realize everybody grieves in their own way, and I tried not to judge them, but they just didn't seem to care about the loss...only how they could profit from it.

Wonder how that turned out.

Re: Benefits Scammers Caught Thanks To Facebook Posts

kivah — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 03:18:28 GMT

I would also like to see the PHONY doctors and lawyers get indicted.

Re: Benefits Scammers Caught Thanks To Facebook Posts

JaneMarple — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 03:50:28 GMT

@mstyrion 1 wrote:
@Spurt wrote:
There is an investigation going on in my state for this very thing, between a big organization and an employee who apparently did the same thing scamming benefits.......

An employee where my friend works tried to do the same thing....the employee was out on paid Family Medical Leave for back issues---she just couldnt even sit in a chair all day she was in such pain--(or so she told her co-workers and her Supervisor)--well another employee video taped her at a Fiesta Celebration dancing up a storm.......the employer was too knd in my opinion....when presented with the evidence they told her to get in the office pronto or she would be fired......they should have made her pay back the FMLA benefits she received!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FMLA doesn't pay benefits. It allows the employee to be out of work for an extended period of time while preserving his or her job. Paid sick leave or some type of disability plan or Work Comp would pay benefits, but if this employee were simply out on FMLA, she did not receive pay under FMLA.

You shouldn't "assume" until all the facts are known .

FACTS are so hard to come by these days.

Re: Benefits Scammers Caught Thanks To Facebook Posts

maestra — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 08:50:09 GMT

@Spurt FMLA is unpaid by the employer. I've had to do onto it 2x for serious health problems and treatments.

They may have been swindling disability offered by the employer.

Re: Benefits Scammers Caught Thanks To Facebook Posts

VaBelle35 — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 09:56:01 GMT

What about all the debit cards issued during Hurricane Katrina and the report showing what was purchased with those cards.

Money does crazy things to people.

Re: Benefits Scammers Caught Thanks To Facebook Posts

Spurt — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 13:51:55 GMT

@JaneMarple wrote:
@mstyrion 1 wrote:
@Spurt wrote:
There is an investigation going on in my state for this very thing, between a big organization and an employee who apparently did the same thing scamming benefits.......

An employee where my friend works tried to do the same thing....the employee was out on paid Family Medical Leave for back issues---she just couldnt even sit in a chair all day she was in such pain--(or so she told her co-workers and her Supervisor)--well another employee video taped her at a Fiesta Celebration dancing up a storm.......the employer was too knd in my opinion....when presented with the evidence they told her to get in the office pronto or she would be fired......they should have made her pay back the FMLA benefits she received!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FMLA doesn't pay benefits. It allows the employee to be out of work for an extended period of time while preserving his or her job. Paid sick leave or some type of disability plan or Work Comp would pay benefits, but if this employee were simply out on FMLA, she did not receive pay under FMLA.

You shouldn't "assume" until all the facts are known .

FACTS are so hard to come by these days.

@JaneMarple @mstyrion 1

You are both correct, here's the correction, My friend said FML protects their job, but they can use Vacation (or sick time) which pays them their salary....then they have to go to Disability or Work Comp if they qualify after 12 weeks ...My point was since this was fraud she should have paid SOMEBODY back ---- perhaps employer because in order to be out that long she had to go through protocol and complete the required forms etc which she lied on in order to be on FMLA AND she needed Supervisor's approval to use that much Vacation Time/Sick Time normally they only can use a max of 2 weeks in order to have time available for all employees so they have their own rules regarding vacation and that person LIED to them and Texas is an at will State so she could have easily been fired! .

Re: Benefits Scammers Caught Thanks To Facebook Posts

Spurt — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 13:47:57 GMT

@kivah wrote:
I would also like to see the PHONY doctors and lawyers get indicted.

@kivah

At my work there are now a list of doctors that arent accepted because they were known to write up a phony medical analysis so people could get off work without really being sick.....