Reporting Illegal Alien Tax and Social Security Fraud

How Do I Contact the Fraud Hotline? Internet: Fraud Reporting Form U.S. Mail: Social Security Fraud Hotline P.O. Box 17768 Baltimore, Maryland 21235 FAX: 410-597-0118 Telephone: 1-800-269-0271 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time TTY: 1-866-501-2101 for the deaf or hard of hearing.

What is the Fraud Hotline? The Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Fraud Hotline provides an avenue for individuals to report fraud, waste, and abuse within the SSA’s programs and operations. We handle allegations regarding violations of law or regulations affecting SSA programs and operations.

What Should I Report to the Fraud Hotline? A variety of situations may be considered fraud in the SSA programs. Some examples are: Conceals work activity while receiving disability benefits Receives Social Security Benefits for a child not under their care Fails to notify SSA of the death of a beneficiary and continues to receive and cash the checks of the deceased Conceals their marriage or assets from the Social Security Administration while receiving Supplemental Security Income payments Resides overseas and is receiving Supplemental Security Income Payments Below are several examples of potential violations that affect Social Security programs or operations. You can click on each topic below to learn more. False statements on claims Concealing material facts or events that affect eligibility for benefits Misuse of benefits by a Representative Payee Buying or selling Social Security Cards or SSA information SSN misuse involving people with links to terrorist groups or activities Crimes involving SSA employees Scams involving the impersonation of an SSA employee Bribery of a Social Security Administration Employee Fraud or misuse of grant or contracting funds Standards of conduct violations Workers’ Compensation fraud

What Should I not Report to the Fraud Hotline? Questions about Social Security Benefits The Fraud Hotline cannot assist individuals with questions about their Social Security account, requests for new or replacement Social Security number (SSN) cards, or issues involving the granting or denial of benefits. These issues can be addressed by: Contacting SSA at 1-800-772-1213 (toll free), or By visiting SSA’s website at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/reach.htm. Medicare or Medicaid Fraud In addition, if you wish to report Medicare or Medicaid fraud, please contact: The Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General at 1-800-447-8477, or Visit their website at http://oig.hhs.gov/hotline.html. Identity Theft The use of your Social Security number by someone else to obtain credit, loans, telephone accounts, or other goods and services should be reported to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC collects complaints about identity theft from those whose identities have been stolen. Although the FTC does not have the authority to bring criminal cases, the FTC can help victims of identity theft by providing information to assist them in resolving the financial and other problems that can result from this crime. The FTC puts your information into a secure consumer fraud database and may, in appropriate instances, share it with other law enforcement agencies and private entities, including any companies about which you may complain. You can reach the FTC directly by: Calling toll-free at 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338). The FTC can also be reached at its website at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/. The Social Security Administration cannot fix your credit record if someone has misused your Social Security number (SSN) to obtain credit. To resolve your credit problems, you need to contact the institution that authorized the credit and/or issued the credit card, as well as the major credit reporting agencies. Obtain a copy of your credit report and ask that an alert be placed on your credit record requiring that you be contacted before credit is extended using your name and SSN. The three major credit reporting agencies are: Equifax — 1-800-525-6285 Trans Union — 1-800-680-7289 Experian — 1-888-397-3742 Work with each credit bureau, creditor, employer and government agency involved to remove inaccurate information from your records. You should continue checking your credit report annually for inaccuracies. Keep copies of your correspondence, records of your telephone calls and other documents verifying your efforts to correct the problem. The Federal government and numerous states have passed laws prohibiting identity theft. Anyone who intentionally uses the Social Security number of another person to establish a new identity or defraud the government is breaking the law. To get more information about the Social Security numbers and identity theft, download the following publications and/or visit the following websites. FTC Information Identity Theft, Privacy & Security (04/07) Social Security Information Identity Theft And Your Social Security Number (05-10064) New Rules For Getting A Social Security Number And Card (05-10120) Your Social Security Number and Card (05-10002) Link…

What Do I Need to Know When Contacting the Hotline? To act on your allegation, we need you to provide as much identifying information as possible regarding the suspect, victim, and the details of what occurred. The more you can tell us, the better chance we have of determining whether a crime has been committed. Your information should include the following: Who committed the Fraud? (Include Suspect Name, Social Security Number, Date of Birth, Address, and Telephone Number) Who the Victims are? (Include Victim Name, Social Security Number, Date of Birth, Address, and Telephone Number) What exactly did the suspect do? Where did the fraud take place? When did it happen? How was the fraud committed? Do you know why the person committed the fraud? Who else has knowledge of the potential violation?

May I Remain Anonymous? Yes, however, please keep in mind that your decision for anonymity may limit our ability to conduct a complete investigation.

Will My Identity Remain Confidential? In some instances, informants may believe that the disclosure of their identities may create problems or place them in danger. We will protect the identity of complainants to the maximum extent allowed by law and only release your identity to those officials who have a need to know. Specifically, Section 7(b) of the Inspector General Act of 1978 precludes the IG from disclosing the identity of a Social Security employee who reports an allegation or provides information, without the employee’s consent, unless the IG determines that disclosure is unavoidable during the course of the investigation. Non-SSA employees who report allegations may also request confidentiality.

What Can I Expect if I Make A Report to the Hotline? We cannot provide information regarding what action we have taken on any allegation reported to our office. Federal regulations prohibit the disclosure of information contained in law enforcement records even to the individual making the allegation. Unless you are contacted directly by one of our investigators, there will be no communication from our office. Under no circumstances will we provide you with the “status” of action taken on the allegation. If you are an SSA employee, SSA may not take action against you solely because of your submission of an allegation to the SSA OIG hotline. Federal laws protect employees from reprisals by their employers for “blowing the whistle” on illegal activity.

Gold Canyon Candle Co raided for ID theft and illegal immigration

September 10th, 2008 @ 12:39pm

by Jim Cross, Sandra Haros & Kevin Tripp/KTAR

Dozens of Maricopa County sheriff’s deputies descended upon an east Valley company this morning, looking for violations of the state employers sanctions law.

The Sheriff’s Office, in a brief statement, said the case involved “as many as 31 people involved in identity theft, a White House staff member connection and an internal plan by plant employees to avoid capture by immigration or law enforcement authorities… all components of an employers sanction case.”

The sheriff’s office did not identify the company, but News/Talk 92-3 KTAR traced the operation to Gold Canyon Candle Co., on Arizona Avenue near Riggs Road in Chandler.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio responded to the allegation that some of those detained and arrested were denied the opportunity to speak with attorneys. “What are you asking me for? I wasn’t there.”

Reporter: “You’re the sheriff, sir.”

Arpaio: “Yeah, but you see I wasn’t there. That’s something we’ll have to look into. You’re asking all these technical legal questions.”

Arpaio said he’s confident in the ability of his deputies to conduct fair and professional operations.

The candle company is firing back at Arpaio.

In an exclusive interview with KTAR, company attorney Ezra Clark said deputies did not let suspects speak with a lawyer – even when they asked for one. “Also, I asked to see a copy of the warrant and the deputies denied that. They said they did not have to give me a copy for that.”

Clark said the deputies did show the warrant to a company employee. He said the business fully complied with e-Verify and the employer sanctions law.

A total of 65 people were arrested today at the Chandler business – 23 for identity theft and 37 for working in the country illegally.

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Make E-Verify work

Tuesday, September 2

(updated 3:01 am)

Last week’s raid of a manufacturing plant in Mississippi put the spotlight back on illegal immigration. Netting almost 600, it’s the biggest immigration raid ever made on a U.S. plant.

The raid also put the spotlight on problems associated with E-Verify, a federal program that provides employers a link to government databases to determine workers’ legal status.

The company, Howard Industries Inc., was using E-Verify and other methods to check immigration status, yet it still employed hundreds illegally.

Much of the anomaly could stem from employees hired before the company began using E-Verify. It was reported that enforcers began investigating two years before Howard began checking workers’ status that way.

With such a large number detained, you have to wonder if someone at Howard didn’t mind hiring undocumented workers. Still, Howard’s employment problems likely also resulted from a glaring weakness of E-Verify: It has a hard time detecting identity theft.

If an illegal immigrant has stolen someone’s identity and is using both that person’s name and Social Security number, E-Verify often can’t determine that.

E-Verify is set to expire on Nov. 1, unless Congress reauthorizes it. Democratic Rep. Health Shuler, of western North Carolina, has proposed legislation that not only would continue E-Verify but expand it. Called the SAVE Act, it would phase in mandatory use of E-Verify by all employers.

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595 Illegal Aliens caught at Laurel Mississippi assembly plant

LAUREL, Miss. — The largest single-workplace immigration raid in U.S. history has caused panic among Hispanic families in this small southern Mississippi town, where federal agents rounded up nearly 600 plant workers suspected of being in the country illegally.

One worker caught in Monday’s sweep at the Howard Industries transformer plant said fellow workers applauded as immigrants were taken into custody. Federal officials said a tip from a union member prompted them to start investigating several years ago.

Fabiola Pena, 21, cradled her 2-year-old daughter as she described a chaotic scene at the plant as the raid began, followed by clapping.

“I was crying the whole time. I didn’t know what to do,” Pena said. “We didn’t know what was happening because everyone started running. Some people thought it was a bomb but then we figured out it was immigration.”

About 100 of the 595 detained workers were released for humanitarian reasons, many of them mothers who were fitted with electronic monitoring bracelets and allowed to go home to their children, officials said.

About 475 other workers were transferred to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Jena, La. Nine who were under 18 were transferred to the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement.

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Agriprocessors identity theft puts data of 230-plus at risk

By GRANT SCHULTE
© 2008, Des Moines Register and Tribune Company

The Social Security numbers used to employ illegal immigrants at Postville’s meatpacking plant were stolen from people in at least 25 states, including two people from Iowa, and from 38 people who are dead, an analysis by The Des Moines Register shows.

The identity theft exposed during the federal raid at Agriprocessors Inc. may have imperiled the private information of more than 230 citizens and lawful immigrants whose Social Security or resident alien numbers were used by the illegal workers.
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Authorities also found evidence that a human resources department employee helped distribute about 96 false resident alien cards, according to court papers. The cards, commonly known as green cards, were grouped in stacks and appear to have been made by the same forger.

Nearly 70 percent of the immigrants who were targeted in federal warrants – the documents that helped justify the raid – remain at large.

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Nation’s Largest Chicken Producer Raided for Immigration Identification Scam

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Associated Press

MOUNT PLEASANT, Texas — Federal agents say their case for a series of workplace raids in five U.S. states was strengthened by identity theft victims who recounted stories of plummeting credit scores and medical benefits denied.

Federal authorities carried out the sweeps Wednesday, arresting hundreds of workers at Pilgrim’s Pride chicken plants on charges of identity theft, document fraud and immigration violations.

Authorities also arrested dozens of workers at a doughnut factory in Houston, and the operators of a chain of Mexican restaurants in upstate New York.

Authorities said agents investigating a scheme to provide documents for illegal immigrant workers had tracked down several of the identity theft victims.

“Identity theft is a horrible problem that can ruin a person’s good name,” said Julie Myers, homeland security assistant secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

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Tennessee Couple Faces $7,854 Tax Bill Due To Illegal Alien Identity Theft

By Digger

Lora and Jamey Costner are getting a taste of what illegal alien identity theft causes. They received a nice $7,854 tax bill from the IRS for wages they earned at Koch Foods for the 2005 tax year. The only problem is that neither one of them has ever worked at Koch Foods. They are the victims of the “victimless crime” of identity theft that is used by virtually every illegal alien in this country.

Two illegal aliens used their identities to gain employment and now the Costner’s are facing the chance that the IRS could start garnishing their wages any day and removing the “owed” money straight from their bank account without warning.

In addition, Mrs Costner was denied worker’s compensation when she was hurt on the job because she was “working” at Koch Foods.

Don’t worry though, these illegal aliens are only here to work and nobody really is a victim of them.

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Alamance Illegal arrested for Identity theft

Times-News

November 27, 2007 7:11 PM

 

A Haw River man who was charged Monday with stealing the identity of a Burlington man was previously deported to Mexico by federal authorities, officials with the Alamance County Sheriff’s Department said.

Deputies charged Mario Sosa-Cruz, 41, at his Burlington job with using the Social Security number of Daniel Rodezno Brizuela, of Hyde Street, in Burlington.

“This is just another example of the legal community getting victimized by illegals,” said Randy Jones, spokesman for the Alamance County Sheriff’s Department.

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