The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) is committed to safeguarding the compliance of child care subsidy payments and takes potential misuse of funds seriously.
If you suspect or would like to report potential child care subsidy fraud, please email ChildCareSubsidyFraud@dss.ca.gov.
When submitting a report, please include the following information, if available:
- Your name and contact information
- Date of incident
- Facility or provider name
- Facility or provider address
- Facility or provider license number
- Suspected fraudulent activity
What is Child Care Subsidy Fraud
Child care subsidy fraud can occur in a variety of ways. Generally, child care subsidy fraud involves intentionally providing false information or withholding certain information to obtain child care benefits that would otherwise not be received.
While not exhaustive, the following list are incidents…
These frauds exploit emotional vulnerability and trust rather than technical weaknesses.
- Romance Scams: Scammers build long-term online relationships with victims, eventually fabricating a “crisis” (medical emergency, legal trouble, or travel costs) that requires the victim to send money.
- Pig Butchering: A hybrid scam where the criminal builds a romantic or platonic relationship to eventually “tutor” the victim in a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment.