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Welfare Fraud

District Attorney Special Investigations Unit

The Madera County District Attorney's Office Special Investigations Unit investigates certain forms of misuse of public assistance also known as welfare fraud. This includes the misuse of food stamps (CalFresh Snap), Aid to Families with Dependent Children (CalWorks, Welfare to Work), or General Assistance.

​Reporting Welfare Fraud Committed in Madera County

Potentially Fraudulent Welfare Fraud That Can Be Reported, Investigated and Prosecuted through Madera County District Attorney's Office

  • Unreported Income (either earned or unearned)

    • Please give the employer's name and address, type of income, when it started, how often paid, etc.

  • Failure to report income or money received from an inheritance, gambling, gift, lottery winnings or from ANY other source

  • Failure to report the absent parent has returned home

  • False Parental Custody

    • Please give the name/approximate age of the child and address where the child is actually living.

  • Unreported changes in Household Composition (either someone moved into or out of the home)

    • Please give the name of the individual who moved in/out, when the move took place, relationship of individual to case, approximate age of individual.

    • This includes aided child/children out of the home

  • Hidden Assets (bank accounts, property, etc.)

    • Please give the bank's name and address, street address and city of property, etc.

  • Using false identification in order to receive aid

  • Forgery or duplicate warrants

  • Creating false dependents in order to receive aid

  • Duplicate Aid

  • Receiving Public Assistance Benefits to which a person is not entitled

  • Unreported Changes in Shelter Costs/Falsified Shelter Costs

    • Please explain what changed or what was falsified, including landlord information and address.

  • EBT Trafficking (Selling EBT cards for money, drugs, etc.)

    • Please give the name and address of the store or individual who buys the EBT card.

If you suspect someone might be committing welfare fraud please report your information to the

Madera County District Attorney's Office Special Investigations Unit at (559) 395-0605.  

Your report can also be submitted here by downloading the form from the link below:

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To report welfare fraud being committed in a county outside of Madera County but within the State of California, contact the county in which the fraud is occurring or the CA Department of Social Services (CDSS) Welfare Fraud Hotline at 1-800-344-8477 or by e-mail at FraudHotline@dss.ca.gov. To report welfare fraud outside of California, visit the United Council on Welfare Fraud's website to find contact information for welfare fraud reporting in other states.

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