Blog

The Inspectors General (IG) community is committed to holding those who defraud the American public accountable. Offices of Inspectors General (OIGs) and their investigators have been central in bringing charges against 250 of the 474 who allegedly defrauded the Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, and Unemployment Insurance.

Expansion of unemployment programs and the easing of some eligibility requirements under the CARES Act have led to increased fraud – especially identity theft. Some people who would not have normally been eligible to receive regular unemployment benefits became eligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). In addition, U.S. Department of Labor rules allowed people to receive benefits prior to their filing claims.

The Department of Labor’s (DOL) budget increased significantly in FY2020, due in large part to additional funding for programs created or augmented due to COVID-19. As the office responsible for overseeing these funds– $400 billion for 2020 – the DOL Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG) created a Pandemic Rapid Response Team to combat fraud, waste, and abuse.

The Internal Revenue Service has been sending out the second round of stimulus payments that were part of the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Act of 2021.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved coronavirus vaccines for distribution, and scammers around the world are trying to lure you into falling victim to their fraudulent schemes. Protect yourself and your loved ones from these potential scams.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) made $150 billion in Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF) available to states, eligible local governments, Tribal governments, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Territories. These prime recipients are spending the money on necessary expenses due to the impact of the pandemic.

Two different pandemic response programs used self-certification by applicants as a primary requirement to determine eligibility and experienced increased fraud due to that requirement. The Small Business Administration (SBA) and Department of Labor (DOL) Offices of Inspectors General (OIG) found in recent reports that self-certification is a major fraud risk that cuts across program and agency boundaries.

The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) submitted its first-ever Semiannual Report to Congress, covering the period of April 1 to September 30, 2020. The report is required by the CARES Act and summarizes our work since the PRAC was founded in spring 2020.

The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) recently launched this beta version of PandemicOversight.gov and now, we’re looking for your feedback to help us plan next steps.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced that more than fifty people have been criminally charged with fraudulently obtaining loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).