Updated Trafficking Updated Trafficking DefinitionDefinition

What is Trafficking?What is Trafficking?

Trafficking is the buying or selling of Trafficking is the buying or selling of Food and Nutrition Services benefits Food and Nutrition Services benefits for cash or consideration other than for cash or consideration other than eligible food; or the eligible food; or the attemptattempt to buy to buy or sell FNS benefits online and/or in or sell FNS benefits online and/or in public public

How is trafficking referred?How is trafficking referred?

USDA Charge LettersUSDA Charge Letters

USDA Office of Inspector GeneralUSDA Office of Inspector General

Telephone calls and emails from the Telephone calls and emails from the publicpublic

Monitor social media web sitesMonitor social media web sites

Data MiningData Mining

What are Charge Letters?What are Charge Letters?

Charge Letters are used by USDA to Charge Letters are used by USDA to notify authorized FNS retailers that notify authorized FNS retailers that they have been investigated and they have been investigated and found guilty of trafficking FNS found guilty of trafficking FNS benefitsbenefits

Charge LettersCharge LettersCounty NotificationCounty Notification

Charge letters are sent to County Charge letters are sent to County DSS from the State Office. DSS from the State Office.

County DSS reviews client County DSS reviews client information for suspected recipient information for suspected recipient traffickingtrafficking

Investigative Red FlagsInvestigative Red Flags

Several whole dollar transactionsSeveral whole dollar transactions

Rapid Transactions back-to-backRapid Transactions back-to-back

High dollar transactions in a small High dollar transactions in a small storestore

Monitoring Social Media SitesMonitoring Social Media Sites

USDA requires that social media sites USDA requires that social media sites be monitored for potential traffickingbe monitored for potential trafficking

SNAP RSS Feed Procedures provided SNAP RSS Feed Procedures provided by USDA to assist in identifying fraud by USDA to assist in identifying fraud activities onlineactivities online

Technical barriers - may need to be Technical barriers - may need to be discussed with your county IT discussed with your county IT department department

Social Media Referral ExampleSocial Media Referral Example

Data MiningData Mining

Prison Match ReportPrison Match Report

PARIS ReportPARIS Report

BEER ReportBEER Report

Questions?Questions?