Ernst Cancels the Viral Fraud-Fluencers Scamming Taxpayers

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is cracking down on fraud-fluencers, social media personalities who are making fleecing taxpayers a lifestyle and flagrantly flaunting to their followers how easy it is to scam Uncle Sam.

From podcasts on fraud and YouTubers rapping about ripping off welfare programs to a TikTok creator bragging about living in the U.S. illegally and more, Ernst is exposing the worst of these crafty creators as part of her crusade against fraud.

• A self-described “con artist” who swindled more than $1 million from the Small Business Administration spent the spoils curating an upscale lifestyle on TikTok and Instagram;
• A freeloading TikTok creator living in the U.S. illegally gained a following bragging about collecting government handouts and encouraging other migrants to “invade” America;
• An IRS employee who stole more than $3.5 million from numerous government programs advertised her illegal pyramid scheme on Instagram; and
• A TikToker who went viral for a video explaining how to scam the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, now warns, “watch what y’all put on the internet because everything is not for the internet—and I learned that.”

To permanently block these streaming schemers, Ernst is asking the U.S. Government Accountability Office to investigate online forums where criminals share how-to guides or other tips and develop blueprints for government agencies to protect public programs from these scammers.

“…a new trend is emerging in which both convicted and uncharged fraudsters share information that allows others to exploit government programs,” wrote Ernst. “The brazen nature of these fraudsters’ behavior is alarming and warrants closer examination.”

Read the full letter here.

Background:

Ernst has long fought to root out government waste, fraud, and abuse, particularly within SBA’s pandemic relief programs, successfully leading the Senate to pass her SBA Fraud Enforcement Extension Act extending the window for holding COVID fraudsters accountable and recovering taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars.

Last month, Ernst unveiled a comprehensive anti-fraud legislative package, the Protecting American Taxpayers Act, that, if enacted, would recover stolen funds, protect taxpayer dollars, and stop fraudsters.

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