by Christopher N. Kleps, Esq.

As a recent article by Workerscompensation.com shows, exposure for even just one injured employee’s act of fraud could reach six figures. The article reported on a Cincinnati man who had been collecting workers’ compensation benefits since the 1990s, totaling over $100,000.00, under a claim he was permanently and totally disabled. After he began collecting benefits, the man used a fake ID to obtain a position as a janitor. He was able to work for over 20 years before the fraud was revealed. His deceit was only discovered after the man unintentionally revealed his real name to his employer, who seemingly was unaware of the fraud.

This article serves as a reminder of the value of surveillance, background checks, and social network checks. This is especially true in larger towns and cities where word of mouth would not alert anyone to the fraud.