NORWICH – With nearly 300 referrals of fraud activity received this year – nine of which have been referred to police and the district attorney, and 15 leading to pending arrests – the Chenango County investigations unit at the Department of Social Services is on its toes.

The fraud unit's tasked with investigating claims of fraud county-wide. Referrals are drawn from outlets including DSS staff, law enforcement, state and federal agencies, and concerned local citizens.

Year to date, fraud investigators have carried out a total 310 investigations, most of which relate to fraud activity in safety net programs – cash and food assistance. Investigators thus far have looked at 180 safety net case referrals in 2019; 42 of those have led to applications denied or withdrawn.

Fraud unit workers say they commonly find issues in falsified documents, applicants working for under-the-table pay or are self-employed, or people with income who moved into the applicant's household but weren't claimed on the application.

“Right now, one of the biggest challenges for us as far as fraud is people working under the table,” explained Patty Hodge, principle social welfare examiner at the Chenango County DSS. “A lot of it is in SNAP and food stamp programs. We also see a lot self-employment where people aren't claiming to be self-employed. You see a lot of people on the internet selling a lot of things. They're doing something to get by, but not reporting it.”