Have you ever know anyone who was scamming the government/welfare/social security?

Yes, my mother was the heir to the estates of three maiden aunts and her parents and as they aged she slowly over many years transferred their assets to herself in order to get around inheritance taxes. Once they were poor on paper she used Medicaid to fund the cost of nursing home care for the two that needed it. I don’t know how much money was involved but each of them owned several hundred acres of forest and farmland.

What she did, while technically legal, seemed against everything that her Baptist Republican morals stood for.

There were these two AA queens I knew BITD. They lived together, and were both on disability. When one pissed the other off, she'd report her to Social Security. Or at least, she'd tell us she did. So dumb, doing it to each other. I don't know if they got their money cut off, but I don't think either was scamming. They had AIDS, which was then a disabling condition. They didn't appear to be sick, particularly, but they were "on disability." Such dumbasses.

I don't know him personally, but I hear that Donald Trump has scammed the IRS.

Yes, an old friend of mine was working in DC as an escort but was not reporting any of her income and taking money on welfare.

Lots of “maids” are on disability and get paid under the table. Talk about double dipping. Avoiding tax and taking benefits!

Yes, every Hassid in NYC

I'm not 100% sure, but my nearest neighbor is living on a disabilty pension because of a pinched nerve in his neck. Now I don't want to give any grief to someone who genuinely has a pinched nerve, but although this guy "can't work," he is able to go snowmobiling, hunting, and roaring around on one of those all-terrain vehicles all hours of the day and night.

Right R7. My "disabled" neighbor skeeches across the lake on a jet ski and a boat. Sometimes the lake waves are so rough I can hardly stand to be on it because it jars the hell out of my back, he has no problem. But he's always laid up in unbearable pain when we organize a lake clean-up.

Yes. My first boyfriend was emancipated from his parents but lived with his wealthy grandparents. That meant new Lexus SUV for his 16th birthday but a free ride to college because on paper he was poor.

I also know a section 8 lady who claimed 0 income yet works for a government agency. She and her 24 year old son have a voucher and even though he works full time FOR the housing authority, that income “doesn’t count” because he’s a student. Free apartment. This situation is just straight up fraud (and shows how our government agencies don’t GAF).

I met an older "society" lady about town, who is now late fifties, and has been on disability for probably more than a decade. I was completely shocked when she told me, as she comes from an obscenely rich family, and she's well enough to shop for hours, walk great distances, and turn around and return or exchange 60% of what she purchases.

I try to keep my distance, as she's a bit of an energy vampire. I have too many connections to her to cut her completely, but it really irks me.

I also know an older gentleman with HIV, rare in that he was diagnosed as having AIDS long ago, but it would appear it's been arrested. He seems quite fit, and is a bit of a party person, he abuses drugs, some of his scripts, some illegal.(and he sells pills on the side as well.)

My understanding is there are weird stipulations with welfare cash payments, and I honestly believe this bloke is capable of some work. I think they ought to be able to work at least part-time if they're physically capable. I think some sort of phone job would be perfect for him, as he could sit down. He's a bit heavy, but overall very fit. He's scammed some other social programmes by his own admission, too lengthy to go on here. I know their income is very small to exist on, and many still cannot afford their HIV meds, but I think the laws need to be changed in this country to allow more of them to work a bit to defray the cost to taxpayers.

Back in the 70s a secretary in my office suddenly didn't show up for work and didn't call for days and HR was unable to get in contact with her. About a week later we found out she'd been arrested for Social Security fraud and was still in jail. She'd been receiving her father's Social Security checks over a year after he had died. In those days there was no built in notification to Soc. Sec. when someone died. It was all up to the family to notify them.

Word to the wise: MYOB.

R7 & R8 we all must live on the same street. You just described my "disabled" neighbour.

Over the years I've known 3 severely disabled people who could not get disability. 2 died waiting and the 3 is living so poorly that the worst person wouldn't wish it on anyone.

How do these seemingly well people get it and those that are in terrible shape, two sick enough to die from their illnesses and the third suffering horribly get turned down?

What a fucked up world.

I also knew someone who was emancipated from their parents and got financial aid because of it. Frankly, college is such a scam I wouldn’t care about someone doing that now. But this was the 1980’s, college was much more affordable.

At first I thought she must have escaped a horrible home situation. But then her dad came to visit her and flew her home for every holiday.

I once worked with a woman who used the handicapped parking at our office. No one could figure out what her handicap was, though she was able to get her doctor to sign off on a handicap placard for her vehicle. Whatever it was, it never kept her from golfing, kayaking, snowshoeing and snowmobiling and traveling extensively. It was an outpatient medical facility, and we employees were required to park at the far edge of the parking lot, so the patients could park near the building. Every day I’d trudge in from my car and pass Anne's SUV parked in the space nearest the door.

R14 I've often wondered how one so outwardly well appearing qualifies myself... After meeting the compulsive shopper living in her $3M condo, I think it's mental or psychological in many cases.

R14 I can't answer your questions, but I can, I think, give you some insight into this.

A friend's father has been on disability for decades, even though he is not disabled.

His doctor filed his paper work and made it seem that this guy could barely walk, much less function in any capacity. A follow up with another doctor agreed with the family GP.

I know for a fact the father promised his doctor his first years worth of disability payments in exchange for filing the false paper work.

This happened back in 1982. I don't know if things are different today, but the people who are able to scam the govt are people who have others willing to help them.

The college comments reminded me of this story.

I know someone who is living in Section 8 housing and receiving other government benefits. On paper, he qualifies for every benefit he's getting.

But he's not reporting his income from his computer repair/consulting business, which is strictly cash only.

[quote]How do these seemingly well people get it and those that are in terrible shape, two sick enough to die from their illnesses and the third suffering horribly get turned down?

They don't. Most of the stories you hear about fake disabled people living an active, expensive, sporty lifestyle are lies. People don't want you to think about the disabled people who die while waiting for benefits or the vets who get sub-par health and mental care.

My exes entire family lived together and all of them were on disability. They would sit at home and watch tv and play video games all day. When they blew threw their money they’d call wanting ours.

Another vile Redditt troll. Yes we know Orange Hitler and his repug thralls want it all gone after the 2020 election.

OP You right wing trolls are so bloody obvious. You are the same paid shill who started the welfare queen thread. He does at least five a day. So do you get paid by the word?

People will defend to the DEATH those handicapped parking placards because “NoT aLl dIsAbiLiTy iS ViSiBLe!!!”

You can’t SEE fibromyalgia. Or anxiety disorders.

[quote]I think they ought to be able to work at least part-time if they're physically capable.

Yeah, fuck off. I've worked since I was in my teens. After decades of work, I'm disabled due to no fault of mine, and I'm struggling to get on disability. I should drag myself someplace for the few years before I turn 65 because you think so?

I know a gal who hasn’t worked in decades. She was in a car accident at age 20, got a settlement from two insurance companies and never looked back. She’s been milking it forever. She’s been trying for years to get SSI and doctor shops for pain pills. She sits around a house that her rich aunt owns and smokes cigarettes and takes in renters. If there’s anything she doesn’t want to do - look for part time work from home - she’s in SO MUCH PAIN. But if she wants to do something - hike, go shopping or brunch in the city - she’s “having a good day”.

Also with the fibro and RA and depending on the day there will be a neck brace or cane or walker.

I don't know if this is a more a problem with the system or a scam.

A social worker friend went on disability when he discoved her had HIV over a decade ago. With the right drugs his HIV went into remission. He was totally fit to work but found that, even if he got a part-time job, his disability would be cancelled. So he just hasn't worked in years.

[quote] I think they ought to be able to work at least part-time if they're physically capable.

As R28 says, even part-time work mans they're not disabled anymore so their entire check gets taken away

My ex-boyfriend and his mother

R27 Yeah me too! I know a gal who never worked a day in her life. She drives a new Lexus she got with her $4000 a month disability check. When she shops at Whole Foods wearing her chinchilla coat with her Dolce & Gabbana tote bag she buys 20 lbs of Kobe beef and uses her EBT card. She also got a full face lift at Cedars Sinai all on MediCal. Did I mention she has 10 kids from 10 different illegal alien men. Of course she lives in a Section 8 townhouse in San Francisco Commiefornia. I'm so sick of this! Jesus take the wheel!

That might be so with private disability, r29, but not SSI. I kept trying to work part time until the pain just made it impossible. My monthly payment was reduced but not eliminated.

I'd worked or gone to school my whole life. It's strange not being out and part of the world, but that's just how it is now.

Some people will try to scam any system we set up. That's just a fact of life. It might make for memorable anecdotes. It does not mean most people are scamming.

I made my comment at R8 to relate what I know is true. My neighbor is certainly able to work a couple of days a week, but I guess between his early retirement package and his disability check, he makes enough money to get by. It annoys me, but I would never treat him badly or report him. It's not my business, and I really don't know his medical situation.

I agree that you can't always see an obvious condition. I was diagnosed with MS in 2008 at 39 years old. I could qualify tomorrow if I filed, but I choose to work because I am still able. That could change at any time, and I would show no obvious symptoms, for now.

My point is you just can't judge because you may not have all the information.

A former co-worker scammed her way into Section 8 and other assistance programs.

We worked bartending at a bowling alley (I was in my early 20s and it was my 3rd job) and she was the head bartender. The place was actually pretty progressive and even though we all were tipped employees they still paid us well above minimum wage. Because it was an older place there was no way to reliably report our tips, so she didn't. Saturday nights we would each make upwards of 300 bucks working the moonlight bowling crowd, and average about 150 on league nights. So, in addition to a $600 paycheck every 2 weeks, you would bring in at least 500-600 in tips weekly. For the early 00s, $1500 every two weeks was pretty good, and that was just one of my jobs.

On top of never reporting her tips, she had a kid. The kid didn't live with her but she told the government she did. So on paper, she made about 7 bucks an hour and had a kid to support with no child support from the dad (min wage at the time was around 5 an hour if I remember). But she really made easily double that, if not more. She was on SNAP, she got a welfare check, and she lived in a 1200 sq ft apartment in a pretty nice area of town thanks to section 8. During tax time the EIC she got was massive, and usually used that to pay for an expensive vacation to Mexico or the Caribbean.

I always wonder if she ever got caught, or what happened to her after the bowling alley was bought by one of the big corporations. I doubt she was ever able to find another place where she could run the same wage scam.

All the welfare queens I meet are whiter then white. Never met a non-white milking disability successfully.

R32 Perhaps a relative can get you a job so you won't be a freeloader.

R35, R34 here. She was white but had an olive complexion, so she also claimed to be hispanic. And she was a Republican who campaigned for GW Bush.

R33 I really don't know his medical situation.

But you KNOW he can work.

R34 Bet she was "olive skinned".

One of my neighbors has a son-in-law who claims he doesn't have a social security number. He "doesn't believe in" government. He thinks everyone is out to get him. I've been tempted more than once to call the IRS on his ass because he makes fabulous money "under the table" doing home renovations. Then he'd have something to be paranoid about.

But around here, you mind your own beeswax (so to speak), because these fucking hillbillies are all armed to the teeth.

It’s the Deplorables in Kentucky who are on “disability”, getting pills and living off the government. Not a life you can live in most places - but you can afford a trailer and food and Medicaid pills.

R38 I know he would make an excellent Ski Boat Driver, if such a job were to be offered.

The only people I know on disability were women, one who is an amputee and one who eventually died of MS. It took forfuckingever to get on it and required the services of shitty lawyers who took most of it. They get barely anything

In my state they do not give any adult welfare money and they haven't for many years. You live on the street or someone supports you. You might get some foodstamps but no money unless children are involved.

American's really are dumbfuks.

I have known some guys to get unemployment, foodstamps for their children and they were working but paying no taxes. They did not get rich and they were white people.

[quote]The only people I know on disability were women ... It took forfuckingever to get on it and required the services of shitty lawyers who took most of it.

Yeah, a female friend of mine had a fatal lung disease – she couldn't leave the house or walk more than a few steps without oxygen -- and had a lawyer battling the govt for three years before she finally got it. She died four months later.

Four months too late.

Vell it vas vork!

MA must be the easiest place to get disability. I know way too many people who are not disabled who are claiming it or have claimed in the past. Not black or Hispanic either.

Yes. A family of tRumpers.

90% of chiropractors.

[quote]Because it was an older place there was no way to reliably report our tips, so she didn't

Bullshit. I worked at a Pizza Hut in the 1990s and we reported tips on paper every day. The IRS doesn't take "well, it's an older place" as an excuse and I don't even know what you're trying to say.

We had a waitress audited by the IRS because she reported "only" $1500 in tip wages a year, but she only worked 3 days a week and it was a fucking Pizza Hut. People didn't tip more than maybe a buck. She wasn't lying but had to go through hell with the IRS anyway because they expected tips to be recorded one way or another.

Some of you are obviously confusing "welfare" with other forms of government benefits. Welfare is ONLY for families with dependent children. That's why the official name for welfare is Aid to Families with Dependent Children or AFDC.

[quote] She drives a new Lexus she got with her $4000 a month disability check

No she does not. The highest amount anyone can draw in disability is the same as the highest amount one can collect in Social Security if one retires at full retirement age, which as of 2020 is $3011.00/mo. And to collect that amount of money one would have had to work in a highly paid job for many years.

They were being sarcastic, R55.

R12 I'm R7. I'd never report the guy, although the situation makes me grind my teeth sometimes. He plows my driveway for me every time we have a snowstorm, and he doesn't charge me anything, even though I insist. That driveway is 350 feet long, and circular. He does a fantastic job, too.

R55, the entire post is satire.

Right down to a townhouse in Commiefornia.

Why do you even care? You're obviously livid about it, but it has nothing to do with you at all.

You are spot on R34 . What is destroying America is bartenders in bowling alleys.

I live in Virginia and it’s very difficult to get any kind of assistance at all. I applied for food stamps many years ago when times were very hard and was turned down, despite only making five hundred dollars a month. It’s easier to get benefits if you don’t work at all, which is why people cheat and don’t report part time income.

your mother did the right thing...if they were on Medicare only, it would pay for 100days. After that, would have to come out of pocket, think about $10k a month which is what my dad had to pay to keep mother dearest in a nursing facility. She died 5 days in so they had to give my dad back his money..it would have made him broke.

A friend's father claimed poverty and used Medicaid benefits When he died, a life insurance he had for years paid off. The government zoomed in and collected $65,000 for the benefits he used,

you get disability payments based on then amount of time you put into the system..they are called "Quarters" and you need a certain amount of them to get disability SSI. If you didnt make a lot, you dont get a lot..if you never worked, you aren't getting $4000 a month. i just doesn't work like that

Many of the people getting benefits are getting Workmen's Comp for a real or faked injury on the job...its not the same as disability.

Cops are notorious for putting claims in for WC...they get a big monthly check for knee aches and sprained hands..I knew one...

The sister of a guy I know told Newark social services that her husband abandoned her. She applied for benefits with her two kids, He lived nearby and visited often. When it was reported, social services did nothing.

R65 that was pretty common with the Newfies I worked with years ago. When things got tough in the winter, the husband would move in with someone and the wife would collect welfare until they got back on their feet. The husband meanwhile was still collecting his paycheque.

I read an article the other day that says Trump is about to put the squeeze on disability recipients. The article made it sound like many currently on disability will be kicked off.

Yes. For almost 40 years, my brother and mother. My brother was completely paralyzed in an accident. My mother paid all his bills so his income and bank balance would be so low he qualified for MediCaid. Otherwise, his care would have wiped our family out. A week's visit to the hospital was close to a million dollars-- and those happened 3 or 4 times a year. He was paralyzed at 18. At 30 he married, and my mother continued to fund the family under the table. The wife wanted to work but couldn't or they would have lost the Medicaid benefits. The wife hated my mother's control of their finances, but the wife was a Mexican lady with five children. She became my brother's caregiver, and her children got citizenship and education.

Let's see: the Goldman-Sachs VP whose parents managed to "lose" (when it was really more like "misplace" for a couple of years) a nursing home in Florida they owned to lower their apparent assets and boost the student aid/scholarship he got while attending Harvard. Veritas, indeed.

My sister's mother-in-law who was cashing her dead mother's Social Security checks for five years after her mother died. My sister was playing cards with her at her house when the FBI agent investigating stopped by to discuss the matter. She had a teaching certificate she didn't want to lose so her husband took the rap and got a year suspended and a $75,000 fine.

A friend's neighbor I've met who's on welfare, has six kids (by four guys), does not work, drives an Escalade, and spends a couple of months every winter in Florida. And she's white.

The rheumatologist who was enrolling his patients, some w/o a very clear idea of what he was doing (or much of an idea of what they were doing, for that matter) in trials of experimental arthritis drugs with some of it covered by the drug companies and some of it by the Feds. Which came out when his third wife - who thought she was his second wife - divorced him.

A sleazy Beverly Hills lawyer who, back in the day when the marginal federal tax rate was more than 50%, set up the production of cheesy movies so bad they'd never make money but the investors got to "meet" (OK, "fuck") the talent while getting a tax loss. It was a scam straight out of "The Producers" except he was doing it before Mel Brooks came out with movie. It paid well: at one point he had two mistresses and seven Rolls Royces, one of which is up for auction at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale this weekend.

Every cop I've ever known - everything from taking payoffs to stealing coke from the evidence room to faking paid overtime to concocting "accidents" to get disability.

A surgeon - one with a world-famous backstory - who was operating when the clasp on her necklace broke, dropping the pearls into the abdomen of her patient, a priest. He died from the infection and she got paid by Medicare for the procedure. Other than the hospital starting to enforce the existing "no jewelry in the OR" rule the next day, nothing ever happened to her.

My brother. He was employed by the state for almost forty years, got a check every two weeks, and never did shit for work. And he was proud of it.

One should take care to reserve judgement. Some people safe their strength for rare outings where they don’t appear disabled, but you don’t see them at home.

I know someone who is disabled and can have a reasonable active day - but what you don’t see is the following two days in bed with inordinate and severe muscle pain.

There's an apartment complex that was so much trouble, our city government bought it. It's in a high-crime area, but the apartments themselves are in good shape. A friend lives there. He is technically homeless and gets a free 1 BR apartment there. He is disabled. (I was in treatment with him; I have no doubt about his status.) Not everyone there is in his program. I gather some people are there on section 8 vouchers or other FHA programs.

When I visit, I shamelessly check out the vehicle makes in the parking lot. Someone in his building drives a Jaguar and another drives Corvette. I admit these are not new vehicles, but still the makes caught my eye. I've seen Lexii in fairly good nick as well as BMWs. So, my guess is some people might be involved in cash only businesses. Dare I say it? Perhaps some of them are drug dealers?

I live in subsidized housing myself and am on disability. I know what it's like to be judged for taking government assistance. So, I keep my clucking to myself. But I do cluck.

Provincetown is famous for this. The locals work all summer and collect unemployment all winter. Given that it’s predictable and reoccurring, it doesn’t seem like it is the same program I collected from every ten years or so for a few weeks each.

[quote] When I visit, I shamelessly check out the vehicle makes in the parking lot. Someone in his building drives a Jaguar and another drives Corvette. I admit these are not new vehicles, but still the makes caught my eye. I've seen Lexii in fairly good nick as well as BMWs. So, my guess is some people might be involved in cash only businesses. Dare I say it? Perhaps some of them are drug dealers?

Something similar happened in my neighborhood a few years ago.

This was at the very tail end of the recession. My neighborhood (gated) has 400k-500k houses. One of them somehow became section 8--I think the owner lived somewhere else (or it was an investment), and I guess they just wanted a steady rental. Anyway, it was a nice 4 or 5 bedroom. When it went section 8, a HUGE number of people moved into the house--at least 5 or 6 adults and many, many children. They put one of those fire pits on the sidewalk in front of the house, and the adults would sit around the fire drinking and smoking until about 4am every morning. And they would receive guests, "friends" who would drop by every night for a few minutes at all hours of the night. (Perhaps pickups)

It took about two months for the neighbors to get organized--they wrote down the tag numbers of all the people living there, and took it to the cops. A few of them had warrants out for there arrest, as well as some of their frequent visitors. So the cops did a sting and arrested half the household.

Immediately after this, the HOA passed a rule about not allowing any owner to rent to section 8.

And that's that.

^^^their

Judging from the absolute rubbish on this thread:

Americans will always be the dumbest people on the planet.

Americans support a traitorous insane leader who is literally robbing them blind with tax cuts for himself and his grifter family. The 1% are laughing their arses off all the way to their off shore banks. You sons and daughters are being sold out as mercenaries by your Pimp in Chief (make the check payable to D. Trump). Yet the only thing that gets you to drop the Cheetos and get off the couch is the blood boiling thought that the bowling alley bartender may get a free cell phone. That is called Peasant Mentality. 21st century America has devolved into 19th century Russia. You deserve your Romanovs. When it all implodes in fire and blood we will say: Good riddance.

R16 I know a deplorable who got a handicap parking sticker for what she described as "mental problems."

My former SIL managed to lie and get Medicare for a non-existent disability. There's nothing physically wrong with her. Once she started getting SSI payments, she divorced my brother.

Sounds like a personal problem ^

[quote] A week's visit to the hospital was close to a million dollars

Good God man, don't exaggerate. There's not a hospital on the planet where 1 week in a hospital could rack up bills close to $1 million.

The worst thing about the section 8 program is the lazy idiots they have working in the HUD offices doling out Section 8 certifications. Everyone, I repeat EVERYONE who gets their rental property in the Section 8 program claims the market rate on their property is twice as much as it really is and the fools at Section 8 just go along with it rather than checking out what the properties would actually rent for on the open market. This means the government is paying out probably billions of dollars a year they shouldn't be in rent subsidies on outlandishly increased rental rates. And the property owners are laughing all the way to the bank.

Yes. He never paid a cent of taxes for the last 30 years. He’s freelance so even his work checks aren’t taxed. His family owns rental apts in most major east coast towns so he moves around from unit to unit town to town. We went on a trip - i had to buy his ticket (no credit card) & he had no cash for the vacation— none. We are friends but he’s a user. Found out all this after our trip. Never again.

I knew a guy that was a party bottom, never got tested until one day he ended up in the hospital. He immediately applied for disability got well a few weeks later an from that point on stayed on it claiming Full blown AIDS. Meanwhile he was throwing dinner parties, buying drugs cigarettes and drinking wine like a fish. He found some daddy that felt sorry fo him so rent was totally free. He was not good looking at all so I didn’t get it. About once a year he would blow his whole monthly wad of 1800 on some Male street trade in a cheap motel doing crystal meth. Finally when it was time to go home he would tell his daddy he got mugged by black guys and took all his money. He used that excuse 3 years in a row!

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[quote] The worst thing about the section 8 program is the lazy idiots they have working in the HUD offices doling out Section 8 certifications. Everyone, I repeat EVERYONE who gets their rental property in the Section 8 program claims the market rate on their property is twice as much as it really is and the fools at Section 8 just go along with it rather than checking out what the properties would actually rent for on the open market. This means the government is paying out probably billions of dollars a year they shouldn't be in rent subsidies on outlandishly increased rental rates. And the property owners are laughing all the way to the bank.

I work in housing. This entire post is a lie.

Section 8 properties are investigated in person by the county office that runs the section 8 program every single year. They do not send checks to the tenants/section 8 recipients. They interface directly with the property owner/landlord.

I know full well the section 8 payments go directly to the landlords. And there may be some agencies who actually investigate and adjust the allowable rental amounts. But where I live they don't. I have a friend who owns a rental house valued around 175k. It's just a small 60s ranch house out in the suburbs. The house would rent for around $1500/mo tops. Yet he got it into the section 8 program and told them it would rent for $2650/mo and they approved it from the get-go. The current tenants are paying $400/mo out of pocket and the government is paying the rest. It's criminal.

This thread reminds me of the ones about opiates. There are people who find them easily and scam, and then there are the stories about the people who desperately need them and can’t get them.

And everyone calling both sides a liar.

An anonymous social worker for the City of New York interviewed on radio said there's an organization in Brooklyn that creates phony documents to obtain benefits. Because these beneficiaries are a heavy voting block, no one in city government will expose this scheme.

Does anyone know the requirements to get an apartment in NYCHA (New York City Housing Authority)? You hear stories of people who make $100, 000 a year living in buildings created for low-income tenants.

[quote] A surgeon - one with a world-famous backstory ...

Come on DL, we should be able to figure this out.