COVID Fraud Enforcement in the U.S.A.

According to a report from the U.S. Department of Justice’s COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force (CFETF) released in April 2024, U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the DOJ’s Civil Division have opened more than 1,200 civil pandemic fraud matters and obtained more than 400 judgments or settlements netting more than $100 million in penalties, while also developing and rolling out database tools to detect and investigate fraud. The report also states that, “The CFETF and its member agencies have ongoing investigations into hundreds of identity thieves, transnational fraud and money laundering networks, large-dollar individual fraudsters and the businesses that facilitated these crimes. Government employees who chose to fraudulently obtain pandemic benefits are also being investigated. Civil enforcement tools are being utilized to recover misappropriated funds from businesses and individuals throughout the country. CFETF member agencies have improved their data analytics capabilities and are using these new skills to investigate fraud more efficiently and effectively. And the lessons learned by law enforcement from investigating pandemic fraud are being used to improve our investigatory efforts and passed on to the agencies tasked with administering benefit programs.”