Fraud is Ageless

It seems that fraud is not just perpetrated by the young, but senior citizens have been known to get in on the criminal action as well. The Buffalo News covers an elderly woman who tried to scam the government by applying for Social Security benefits under false names, even though she was already legitimately collecting benefits through the program. (Evidently, she felt she was not getting enough money and needed to have more.)

The story states that the 79-year-old woman was twice widowed and already collecting Social Security death benefits after the death of both husbands. She applied for additional benefits under false names and even provided bogus identification documents, collecting more than $101,000 over a decade.

The senior citizen pleaded guilty to the theft of public money. She faces up to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. (I’m guessing because of her age, she may not receive prison time.)

Usually, the news is full of stories about fraud committed against senior citizens, not the other way around. It just goes to prove that fraud has no bounds as to who commits the crime, nor against whom the crime is committed. No one is safe.

The post Fraud is Ageless appeared first on Fraud of the Day.