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of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    Protecting Public Benefits

    Public benefits programs are a safety net for those in need. We prevent and prosecute public assistance crimes in programs that families rely on.  

    Report Public Benefits Crimes

     

    The Office of State Inspector Genearl protects the integrity of Pennsylvania’s public assistance programs and taxpayer dollars. We make sure resources are going to those who need them most.   Every year, OSIG saves tens of millions of tax dollars through its fraud prevention work.

    OSIG and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) work together to find and stop public benefits fraud and theft. Our agents are in every county across the state working with DHS county assistance and district offices.

    Programs We Protect

    We are Law Enforcement

    OSIG is a proud law enforcement agency. We work with the Office of Attorney General and Pennsylvania State Police on investigations. We file charges against people who are accused of public benefits crimes, and we work with local police and district attorneys to prosecute them and recover benefits they should not have received.

    Preventing Public Benefits Fraud

    OSIG and DHS work together to prevent public benefits fraud. DHS sends select benefits applications to OSIG for review.

    Our agents then do on-the-ground investigations to help DHS determine if someone is eligible for benefits or if their benefits should be reduced or closed.

    This protects taxpayer dollars to make sure resources are going to those who need them most. Every year, OSIG saves tens of millions of tax dollars through its fraud prevention work.

    Public Benefits Crimes

    OSIG investigates cases of public benefits theft including crimes like skimming – stealing data and funds from EBT accounts and trafficking – buying or selling EBT cards for cash, drugs, or any non-permissible use.

    We also investigate people who receive benefits they are not entitled to.

    We hold those who break the law accountable by filing criminal charges against them. These cases proceed through Pennsylvania’s courts, where offenders face criminal conviction, restitution, fines, and disqualification from future benefits. 

    Report Public Benefits Crimes

    Business Fraud

    Businesses like grocery or convenience stores can commit public benefits fraud. Stores will buy EBT cards from the benefit recipients. If you know of a business doing something similar please report it to OSIG. 

    Report Public Benefits Business Fraud

    Paying Back Benefits

    Any time a public assistance recipient gets more benefits than they are eligible for, it is considered an overpayment. The federal government requires overpayments to be paid back. OSIG collects these payments and returns the funds to the Commonwealth.

    Overpayments occur for many reasons, including innocent mistakes by a client or the Commonwealth, or by fraud. No matter what the cause, benefits recipients are still required to pay back any money they weren’t eligible to receive.

    If you need help making a payment, please call 1-800-932-0935.

    Make a Payment