BOSTON – In an effort to combat improper use of public benefits and false pension filings, Senator Michael O. Moore (D-Millbury) encourages local residents to report incidents of fraud.

“Anyone who suspects fraud has occurred should feel comfortable with coming forward,” said Sen. Moore. “Information may be shared anonymously and I encourage folks to do their part to hold people accountable for their fraudulent actions.”

Several state agencies contain fraud detection and prevention units to reduce the inappropriate use of state resources or public dollars. The Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), which oversees all public assistance benefits, maintains a toll-free hotline at 1-800-372-8399 and also provides a reporting form on their website.

The Fraud Prevention Unit within the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC) assists with the prevention and investigation of fraudulent disability pension claims and payments. The Unit may be reached via e-mail at pensionfraud@per.state.ma.us or via their telephone hotline 1-800-445-3266.

All reported incidents are reviewed by the appropriate state agency to assess the validity of the claim. Additional information may be obtained online by visiting www.mass.gov/dta/fraud and www.mass.gov/perac.

To access a copy of the DTA fraud reporting form, please visit: http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dta/dta-fraud-reporting-form.pdf
To access a copy of the PERAC fraud reporting form, please visit: http://www.mass.gov/perac/docs/forms-pub/reports/other-reports/referralreportfraud.pdf