What is the Fraud Recovery Unit and how does it investigate public assistance fraud?

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) — Public assistance programs funded by taxpayer dollars are being targeted by fraudulent activity.

The Mesa County Department of Human Services (DHS) Fraud Recovery Unit is responsible for investigating government-funded public assistance fraud. The team consists of five people.

Sierra Conlon, fraud and recovery supervisor, said the team received 388 fraud referrals in 2025 out of 25,000 eligibility cases.

“We, in our team, see quite a bit of fraudulent behaviors, and it seems like it’s growing on a daily basis, like these identity theft rings,” Conlon said. “But overall, when you’re looking at the statistic of 25,000 eligibility cases, versus 388 referrals that came in, it is a lot less in comparison to all of the benefit that the community is receiving.”

How the fraud team operates

DHS administers public assistance programs including SNAP, medical…

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