Tax Returns of the Living Dead

[Xenophon]

Tax Returns of the Living Dead | NBC New York

Dead people were claiming tax refunds and the children of strangers were listed as dependents.

Those were among the bold scams that 26 Bronx and Manhattan tax preparers were allegedly using to claim the bulk of about $95 million in refunds since 2001, prosecutors said Thursday.

Perfect example of how scammers cost us millions of dollars.

 

[GilbertArizona]

Holding the position that I don't want the government collecting this information in the first place, it would be hypocritical for me to be upset with these scammers.

Now that we have Obamacare going into place, my main objection to replacing the income tax with the FairTax has been eliminated. While I still see the FairTax as still being far from perfect, at least it eliminates the identity thief being carried on by the government.

 

[chanel]

How many SS checks have been ent to dead people and cashed by others? How many unemployment checks go to people being paid under the table? Any projected CBO report should figure in at least 25 percent for fraud and waste. Speaking of which: have the found the 500 billion in Medicare yet?

 

[Claudette]

Wonder how many dead people are still drawing Medicare.

The list goes on. Govt entitlements just full of waste and fraud. Gotta love it.

 

[chanel]

Another scam I've learned of in the past few years is "phony foster care" Foster parents get 2 to 3 times the amount as welfare parents. So what some of these devious grifters do is "give up their children" to a relative. I always wondered why so many kids lived with grannies and aunties even when mom lived down the road and now I know why. In NJ a teen can get up to 12K plus generous clothing allowances. All tax free!

 

[Ringel05]

Hey, even horror movie extras need to file taxes......

 

[MaggieMae]

How many SS checks have been ent to dead people and cashed by others? How many unemployment checks go to people being paid under the table? Any projected CBO report should figure in at least 25 percent for fraud and waste. Speaking of which: have the found the 500 billion in Medicare yet?

Or the $1.4 trillion the DoD can't find from 2003? (And thereafter, the GAO just gave up. Pentagon books are unauditable.)

Government, Military Corruption

Missing Pentagon Trillions - Where did they come from? | Ron Paul War Room

 

[MaggieMae]

Wonder how many dead people are still drawing Medicare.

The list goes on. Govt entitlements just full of waste and fraud. Gotta love it.

You don't "draw" Medicare. If there are dead people still claiming to be alive, perhaps that's fraud on the part of the physician, unless said doc isn't aware his patient died under his care.

 

[MaggieMae]

Another scam I've learned of in the past few years is "phony foster care" Foster parents get 2 to 3 times the amount as welfare parents. So what some of these devious grifters do is "give up their children" to a relative. I always wondered why so many kids lived with grannies and aunties even when mom lived down the road and now I know why. In NJ a teen can get up to 12K plus generous clothing allowances. All tax free!

I think to pull off those scams some sort of complicity in the professional sector is needed. A doctor's report is needed confirming that a parent is unable for some physical or mental reason to care for the child, and also "foster parents" even if they are blood relatives are usually screened beforehand. I'm not saying some don't know how to game the system, but I don't think it's as widespread as you would have us believe.

I'd like to see some source where a child of foster parents is qualified for $12,000 a year just for clothes. Sounds like one of those rumors that gets piled on top of another bogus rumor until it becomes a "can you top this?" game. And then the same type of person who buys into any such stupid rumors, accepts that as gospel too.

 

[chanel]

You misunderstood. It's approx. $1000 a month PLUS clothing allowance. I'm not sure how much it is per year, but I know each time a child is MOVED, they get $200 for clothes and school supplies.

I realize it's not that widespread - yet. But as long as mom is on drugs or gets convicted of a crime, it's fairly easy to hand over the child to a relative. DYFS is grateful for "willing" relatives as there are a shortage of foster homes. That's also why they pay so much.

I'm very familiar with the foster system in NJ. I worked for Human Services for years and have friends who take in kids. Sometimes that 12K ain't enough.

 

[MaggieMae]

You misunderstood. It's approx. $1000 a month PLUS clothing allowance. I'm not sure how much it is per year, but I know each time a child is MOVED, they get $200 for clothes and school supplies.

I realize it's not that widespread - yet. But as long as mom is on drugs or gets convicted of a crime, it's fairly easy to hand over the child to a relative. DYFS is grateful for "willing" relatives as there are a shortage of foster homes. That's also why they pay so much.

I'm very familiar with the foster system in NJ. I worked for Human Services for years and have friends who take in kids. Sometimes that 12K ain't enough.

I appreciate the clarification. What I get upset about are the wide range of "allowances" by state regarding their Medicaid grants. The television happened to be on some program on VH-1 a few weeks ago when one of my nieces was visiting and it had to do with a teenager who was "diagnosed" as a shopaholic. So Medicaid paid for her weekly visits to a shrink. Puleeze. What teenager ISN'T a shopaholic, whether or not they have any money. I think the state was Ohio, but don't quote me.

States need to pitch in and start cleaning up their own acts, in my opinion.