The Biden Administration Pledges To Go After COVID Relief Scammers

Last week, United States President Joe Biden unveiled a proposal to crack down on COVID-19 fraud and help those adversely affected by identity theft. This proposed plan has three components. First, it will ensure that law enforcement agencies have the resources, time, and human resources to go after scammers. Second, the proposal will invest in fraud and identity theft prevention. Third, it will directly help victims of identity theft. While hundreds have been convicted of illicit conduct, and millions of dollars have already been recovered, officials have emphasized that their work is far from over. 

President Biden is also proposing  tripling the number of COVID-19 Strike Force Teams. These Strike Force Teams are specially created agencies that work round the clock to identify, apprehend, and prosecute fraudsters. There are three of these task forces. One of them recently recovered $286 million in stolen pandemic relief funds, according to the White House. President Biden's plan would raise that number from three to ten. In addition, this proposal includes extending the statute of limitations to 10 years in cases of demonstrable fraud, providing at least $300 million to prevent identity theft in public benefits programs, and allocating at least $300 million to support investigative staff working on COVID fraud efforts, and much more. 

This anti-fraud proposal comes after Biden stated during his State of the Union address that "As we emerge from this crisis stronger, [we have] also got to double down [on] prosecuting criminals who stole relief money meant to keep workers and small businesses afloat." This speech foreshadowed the plan that the President wants to set in motion, which he has been working on since November 2022. 

Biden's plan would cost nearly $1.6 billion to implement, but it aims at recovering that and much more in fraudulent COVID scams. This proposal by the Biden administration also hopes to gain bipartisan support, as that will be necessary to get the funds necessary for effective implementation. It is apparent that politicians on both sides of the aisle want to pursue the criminals who took advantage of the trillions of dollars distrubted by the government to help keep the American economy afloat and protect the public during the COVID-19 pandemic.