Federal authorities arrested and charged 15 people for allegedly stealing $1.4 million in SNAP, Mass Health, disability, and unemployment benefits, the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.
The charges are a part of a string of government benefits fraud cases the office has started pursuing since December. Since then, they’ve charged more than 60 defendants in connection to $63 million in alleged fraud.
Although federal officials said they are proud of the work that’s been done in Massachusetts so far, they argued that access to state benefits data would streamline investigations and uncover more wrongdoing.
“It makes me very hopeful that we can actually make a difference,” U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said an interview with the Herald after the announcement.
“We have buy-in from all of our law enforcement partners and everyone is on the same page,” Foley said, though…
This remains the most prevalent form of financial crime globally. It targets the direct access points to your money: your cards and your bank accounts.
- Skimming: Criminals use small devices called “skimmers” placed over ATM or point-of-sale card slots to capture the data from your card’s magnetic strip.
- Card-Not-Present (CNP) Fraud: This occurs during online shopping where a physical card isn’t required. Thieves use stolen card numbers, expiry dates, and CVV codes to make unauthorized purchases.
- Account Takeover (ATO): A hacker gains access to your online banking credentials (often through malware or phishing) and changes the contact details or passwords, locking you out while they drain your funds.