Welfare fraud is a crime in New York State and the Elmira Police Department and the Chemung County Department of Human Services take acts of welfare fraud very seriously.
Acts of welfare fraud include:
- deliberately providing a false statement
- submitting a document that contains false information
- the intentional concealment of information such as wages, resources, household composition, etc., that may result in an overpayment of social service program benefits.
Upon conviction, the penalties for welfare fraud may include community service, restitution, probation, and disqualification from public assistance programs. In some instances, a welfare fraud conviction may even result in imprisonment.
The Chemung County Human Services Department has a special unit, the Special Investigations Unit or SIU, that is responsible for receiving referrals or complaints of welfare fraud in Chemung County. The SIU investigates all allegations of welfare fraud and refers all founded cases to the District Attorney’s Office for criminal prosecution or to the County Attorney’s Office for civil prosecution.
If you suspect someone is committing welfare fraud, the Elmira Police Department encourages you to report it.
CLICK HERE TO REPORT WELFARE FRAUD
If you believe that someone is receiving Temporary Assistance, Food Stamps, HEAP, Medical Assistance, or Day Care benefits to which they are not entitled, please click the link above to report it. You are not required to provide your name to report welfare fraud and the protection of your identity is a priority. You may be contacted by the Chemung County Human Services Department or the Elmira Police Department should additional information be needed for the investigation.