Fraud Awareness Day

Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services is spreading the word that “Fraud Costs All of Us.” To promote fraud awareness, MCD JFS’ Investigation and Recovery staff will host a Fraud Awareness Day on May 29.

This effort is to educate the community to recognize, report and prevent public assistance fraud. Investigation and Recovery staff will be at The Job Center, 1111 S. Edwin C. Moses Blvd., from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. They will promote fraud awareness with item giveaways and answer questions about how to prevent public assistance fraud. Staff will wear red or black “Fraud Costs Us All” T-shirts.

Each year, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services disburses more than $2 billion in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, more than $200 million in Ohio Works First cash assistance and more than $600 million in child care provider subsidies. Individuals who mislead caseworkers or provide false information for benefits account for a small percentage of the funding disbursed, but the department takes even the smallest fraud cases seriously.

The county’s Department of Job and Family Services is a shining example of that. For the fourth year in a row, the county collected more than $1 million in overpaid SNAP assistance in 2018. More than $760,000 of this was from fraudulent or untimely reporting by county residents.

Applicants and recipients of public assistance programs are encouraged to report their circumstances accurately and timely to avoid facing potential criminal charges, program disqualification and repayment of benefits issued improperly. County residents may report suspected public assistance fraud either by calling 937-225-6035 or online at www.jfs.ohio.gov/fraud.