[LGriffin]

BOSTON (WWLP) - A new agreement will allow local police to investigate allegations of SNAP benefits fraud.
State officials plan to announce the agreement on Monday.
The f ederal SNAP program was formerly known as Food Stamps.
Officials say the agreement will strengthen program integrity and protect benefits for those who need them.
It stems from an action plan developed by the state Department of Transitional Assistance earlier this year, after reports pointed to widespread fraud and waste.
http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/massachusetts/agreement-allows-police-to-investigate-ebt-fraud

Sounds great but we all know how this will end.

 

[Mr Scribbles]

I'll bet anyone a C-Note that Boston Police will come out with a Special Order forbidding patrol officers from pursuing this type of fraud...cue the crickets!

 

[Guest]

"Investigate" and "prosecute" are 2 very different things.

 

[militia_man]

When I find someone else's card on an arrestee that is "holding" an EBT card for someone else, I photocopy the card and then put the card in the shredder. I then call the EBT card fraud hotline and report it. I doubt much happens beyond that, but I feel better knowing that I tried to stop some of the fraud, waste and abuse.

 

[263FPD]

Right. Because we have nothing else to do. Crate some jobs and actually hire people to do this. They will have plenty of work.

 

[Guest]

Tim Imholt, a Republican running against Nikki Tsongas, wrote an article on how to fix the ebt fraud problem. It makes total sense... which means the dems will want nothing to do with it.
http://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2013/06/18/thumbs-up-to-a-tech-solution-for-ebt-fraud/?singlepage=true

Sent from my wicked smaht DROID RAZR

 

[kateykakes]

Excellent article, but with the current administration, they would have no such thing. Obama & his cronies want to make sure people are dependent on the government because that generates votes, despite the taxpayer getting the shitty end of the deal.

 

[Kilvinsky]

Although I have no issue with this (though 263FPD makes a very good point) because the more people on the case, the better chances of catching these lowlifes, there's already in place the Bureau of Special Investigations. Spend THOUSANDS more on hiring more of these people and maybe MILLIONS will be saved catching the bad folks who break the law. (22c Sec. 68-which does NOT allow them to carry.)

Not sure how many of these folks are out there, but I would guess NOT enough.

 

[HistoryHound]

So they're going to let police investigate EBT fraud. Awesome. Now when are they actually going to do something to punish the low life, thieving assholes who are abusing the system? And just how long until we start hearing claims of racism and profiling in relation to the EBT abuse investigations? We all know that anyone calling for EBT reform is racist even though I've never heard anyone calling for reform argue that only minorities are on welfare or only minorities are abusing the system. Yet, when liberals hear the phrase welfare reform they go batshit crazy with accusations of racism. Which makes one wonder if liberals think that only minorities are on welfare and only minorities are abusing the system. Why else would they think that reform that covers all recipients is racist?

Excellent article, but with the current administration, they would have no such thing. Obama & his cronies want to make sure people are dependent on the government because that generates votes, despite the taxpayer getting the shitty end of the deal.

Well the good thing for the dems is that we are reaching (if not already there) the tipping point where there are more voters getting "benefits" than there are tax payers taking it up the ass.

 

[Kilvinsky]

I agree with you.

 

[LGriffin]

Tim Imholt, a Republican running against Nikki Tsongas, wrote an article on how to fix the ebt fraud problem. It makes total sense... which means the dems will want nothing to do with it.
http://pjmedia.com/lifestyle/2013/06/18/thumbs-up-to-a-tech-solution-for-ebt-fraud/?singlepage=true

For those who cannot open RAR's link, here it is, and it's better than what we've got now:

Today's technology can put fingerprint scanners on something the size of a credit card; the chips and memory needed to operate the device easily could fit where the hologram is on most of your credit cards. Credit and debit-card swipe machines already can handle this, so there would be no cost to the store or extra hassle to the user to put this system into place.
This plan, if enacted, would solve a number of issues.
First, the system could be set up so no one gets two cards. If two cards have the same fingerprint, one - or both- could be deactivated.
Second, no one could sell his or her card for cash to buy drugs or alcohol. Only the person to whom it was issued could use the card. (In the case of shut-ins, the card holders could designate an authorized user to buy groceries on their behalf.)
Third, no one could use the identity of a dead person to defraud the system for years without challenge.
Our benefit system must be saved to continue to serve the truly needy. Our leaders must use technology - our most effective and efficient resource - to stop those defrauding the U.S. taxpayer. Fingerprint technology is here, can easily be implemented, and shouldn't cost more than $10 per EBT card.
Stack up the one-time cost of $230 million for our proposed system against potential monthly fraud of nearly $2 billion. If you know of any other investment that will pay a 1,000 percent return on a monthly basis, please call us.
Before a politician challenges this idea because the numbers might be a little off, look at it this way: Even if the cost of implementation is 10 times higher than our estimate, the fingerprint card would pay for itself in one month. All subsequent savings would go to the taxpayers while assuring that the proper resources would go only to the truly needy. Keep in mind, too, that like all technological advances, this one will also get cheaper with time.

 

[Kilvinsky]

I like what I read. It'll never happen until Republicans RULE the nation, which will never happen.