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Should I turn in my brother for food stamp fraud?

What should I do?

  • Turn in my brother and his sons.

    Votes: 2 4.8%

  • Turn in my brother, his sons, and store

    Votes: 4 9.5%

  • Turn in the store

    Votes: 20 47.6%

  • Do nothing at all.

    Votes: 16 38.1%
  • Total voters
    42
Perotista said:
There should be no way a liquor store or even a gas station should be able to accept these cards.
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ABC Liquors refuses EBT cards. They are like "look, this is a liquor store, our chips cost twice as much as the grocery store, get the **** out of here".
 
ecofarm said:
Except...

No EBT program allows such. "If the program allows for these things" is absurd. So, not that.
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I still think he should have a heart to heart with him.
 
SgtRock said:
I am an old soldier. Not a thug! My brother has not harmed me in a way that I would respond with violence. Our sister just died and I was their for the funeral for crying out loud. Yes I am conservative and I believe the store and my brother and sons are commiting fraud. We paid for his food stamps with our taxes and it pisses me off what he is doing. But I also have compassion for him and his family. BTW, did you spend any time in jail for assulting your brother? I'm pretty sure beating someone till they can't get up is a serious crime even in backwards ass Oklahoma.
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I am an old grunt, not a thug. You have huffed and puffed online but now want to drop a dime on your brother??? :confused:

Ummm your brother is hurting all good Gawd-fearin' CONs by fraud. Your 'compassion' is to report him to the police so he can go to jail... yeah you are Mr. Compassion. :roll:

The cops didn't even show-up. My brother got up and walked to a friend's house, the two neighbors didn't say a word- here in Oklahoma family deals with family, unlike Texas where apparently squealing on family is the way to go. :shock:

But thanks for asking... :2wave:

My bottom line, if it pisses you off enough to come in here to rant, if it pisses you off enough to want to rat him out and possible jail time- then 'old soldier' ya can at least confront him, flip a few tables, ya know, demonstrate your disdain for fraud.
 
ecofarm said:
Except...

No EBT program allows such. "If the program allows for these things" is absurd. So, not that.
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No they don't allow that anymore. I think at one time a person might have been able to purchase those things when they were actually "stamps" that they had to use, but now that everything is computerized and done with the card, it makes it more difficult.

However, people DO still make "deals" to buy another person food or other items allowed in exchange for some cash, and I think that is one of the biggest ways people cheat the system, and that is really hard to crack down on.
 
Perotista said:
I have noticed here lately that the EBT cards are accepted at gas stations, convenience stores, Family Dollar stores, even a restaurant or two and a lot more. Perhaps it is time to just limit the EBT card to grocery stores once again. There should be no way a liquor store or even a gas station should be able to accept these cards.

As for turning in your brother, I would definitely turn in the liquor store. Your brother is why a lot of people think no one should be receiving food stamps.
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Precisely.

I think allowing these stores to accept EBT is corruption based on a plausible need. In order to accept EBT, a store should have to implement systems that prevent acceptance of the card for anything but approved purchases.
 
Dezaad said:
Precisely.

I think allowing these stores to accept EBT is corruption based on a plausible need. In order to accept EBT, a store should have to implement systems that prevent acceptance of the card for anything but approved purchases.
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And how would you suggest they do THAT? :confused: I mean, everything is going to depend upon how the cashier punches a purchase into the register I think.
 
ecofarm said:
ABC Liquors refuses EBT cards. They are like "look, this is a liquor store, our chips cost twice as much as the grocery store, get the **** out of here".
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That is the way it should be. I am of the opinion only grocery stores should be allowed to accept them. No other store period.
 
Perotista said:
That is the way it should be. I am of the opinion only grocery stores should be allowed to accept them. No other store period.
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I'm support many additional restrictions. Starting with no soda and candy.
 
ChrisL said:
And how would you suggest they do THAT? :confused: I mean, everything is going to depend upon how the cashier punches a purchase into the register I think.
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The scanned bar codes indicate the product being purchased. Require everything to be scanned. Don't allow stuff that cannot be scanned to be purchased with EBT. It is not like they are going to starve if they can't get that one legitimate item that happens not to be in the system properly. Technology is a wonderful thing.
 
ChrisL said:
However, people DO still make "deals" to buy another person food or other items allowed in exchange for some cash, and I think that is one of the biggest ways people cheat the system, and that is really hard to crack down on.
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EBT use costs 50% on the street and 66% among friends.
 
ecofarm said:
Sure. And he should send a tip to the PD about that store.
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I'd agree with that.

I also think people with EBT cards shouldn't be able to get CASH using that card; they should only be able to use it to buy food.
 
Dezaad said:
Precisely.

I think allowing these stores to accept EBT is corruption based on a plausible need. In order to accept EBT, a store should have to implement systems that prevent acceptance of the card for anything but approved purchases.
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Exactly, and if the business doesn't have at least 80% of all its sales on food sales, no acceptance of an EBT period. Only those stores which fall into the 80% or higher rate on food sales should be allowed to accept EBT cards. No other stores at all.
 
MaggieD said:
Just a thought your post brought to mind . . . the enabling part . . . really, he doesn't even know if they DID take food stamps for that stuff. If his brother had just shelled out cash for food, why didn't he use them then? That's the question to ask. Why were they two days hungry? Were they? Did they use the food stamps in there? Or did they use cash?

As to reporting them, he knows nothing. He didn't see the store accept them. Didn't even see them use 'em. Imagine the call:

"My brother told me that XYZ store took food stamps from him to buy alcohol and cigarettes on Saturday."

"Yeah? Wow. Well, thanks for calling."
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They were hungry for two days because my sister just died. And because they are without transportation. And they save their food stamp money for beer and cigarettes. You must not have The store that accepts there card for beer and cigarettes is 18 miles from there apartment. And my brother confessed to me that he has been buying tobacco and alcohol form this store for many years. I was outside waiting in the parking lot. I had just bought groceries for them when they asked me to stop at the store. None of them have a job so they are flat broke. There are other circumstances that I choose not to divulge. Like I said they didn't pay for the groceries because they save their cards for beer and cigarettes. What are you suggesting Maggie?
 
ChrisL said:
There is no such thing as a "perfect" person. Even drug addicts seek out help and sometimes religion helps people a lot more than you would think. Just talking to someone who is an objective listener and isn't going to be judgmental can be a great relief to people who are suffering. Sometimes people don't walk to talk with their family members/friends because they don't want to burden them.
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Thank you. Very good points.

I am not someone who puts a lot of faith in religion. But I am a spiritual person, nonetheless.

And, I can say without a doubt that, in my years of working with patients dealing in substance abuse, that faith has served them better than any medication or professional counciling or program we ever offered them. The best results I have ever witnessed occurred under the guise of religion/God/Jesus/<fill-in-the blank diety here> .
 
SgtRock said:
Here is the situation. My brother and his sons live in another state. My sister passed away this month from lung cancer. I traveled there for the funeral and to visit. When I got there i found my brother and two of his sons had not eaten for two days. So i went out and picked up some burgers. After they had eaten I took my brother and his sons in my rental car, none of them have a car, to buy groceries which I gladly paid for. On the way back they asked me to stop at a store so i did. They came out with beer and cigaretts. Well needless to say i was pissed. I asked, how can you afford beer and cigaretts but can't afford food. My brother responded "the store accepted his food stamp card for beer and smokes, isn't that cool" I said hell no its not cool. My brother and his adult sons are on food stamps. So what am I to do. Turn in my brother and his sons.
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I'd let it go and focus instead on greater injustices. This stuff is small time.
 
ecofarm said:
I'm support many additional restrictions. Starting with no soda and candy.
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I agree with this considering our obesity problem. Maybe they should just have "special" grocery stores for EBT purchases. If you could only buy your groceries at EBT-approved grocery stores which did not sell alcohol or tobacco or other such vices, candy, soda, whatever, then maybe that would make a difference.

People would still be able to "trade" with their EBT cards though. There is no getting around that problem that I can see.
 
TheGirlNextDoor said:
I also think people with EBT cards shouldn't be able to get CASH using that card; they should only be able to use it to buy food.
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They only get cash via the (virtually official) 50 or 66% deal.
 
ChrisL said:
I agree with this considering our obesity problem. Maybe they should just have "special" grocery stores for EBT purchases. If you could only buy your groceries at EBT-approved grocery stores which did not sell alcohol or tobacco or other such vices, candy, soda, whatever, then maybe that would make a difference.

People would still be able to "trade" with their EBT cards though. There is no getting around that problem that I can see.
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I'm good with non-taxable items only. No processed food, no drinks.
 
Captain America said:
Thank you. Very good points.

I am not someone who puts a lot of faith in religion. But I am a spiritual person, nonetheless.

And, I can say without a doubt that, in my years of working with patients dealing in substance abuse, that faith has served them better than any medication or professional counciling or program we ever offered them. The best results I have ever witnessed occurred under the guise of religion/God/Jesus/<fill-in-the blank diety here> .
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I don't consider myself "religious" either, but I do know that religion works for some people. I agree, sometimes for people who feel like they have nothing and no one, having a special relationship with "God" can really help them.
 
Deja vu
 
2 ways to look at this.

1) Your brother and his kids are committing fraud.

2) The store is actually the one committing fraud.

You either "rat" out your family or you rat out a store that has no ties to you. ;)
 
TheGirlNextDoor said:
I still think he should have a heart to heart with him.
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I did before I left to come back home. My brother asked me if I was going to turn him in. I told him I wouldn't but I also told him why I disapproved.
 
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