The Yolo County District Attorney works to combat fraud.
(Woodland, CA) – July 3, 2014 – Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig announces that July is Fraud Awareness Month. The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office provides many services to find, investigate, and prosecute fraud in Yolo County.
The Workers Compensation Unit, together with the State Department of Insurance, protects honest businesses against dishonest individuals and businesses who either do not have the necessary insurance to protect their workers or who submit false claims for services. We have seen cases where employees apply for workers compensation for a physical injury but are later observed playing sports or doing heavy lifting around the house.
The Consumer Fraud Unit ensure that there is “level playing field” for all businesses by making sure consumers in Yolo County “get what they pay for.” One example of this is when a consumer buys a box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day and finds that when the box is opened only half the box is filled with chocolates and the other half is empty space. This is called “slack fill” and is both misleading and illegal. The unit works with other county and state agencies so that no matter where a businesses’ headquarters is located within the state, Yolo County consumers are protected.
The Auto Fraud Unit investigates auto insurance fraud. The goal of this unit is to deter fraudulent insurance claims that result in an increase in the insurance rates paid by all of us who have insurance. We have seen many cases where an individual has set their car on fire to get the insurance proceeds.
The Welfare Fraud Unit, together with the Yolo County Department of Employment and Social Services combats Public Assistance Fraud. The two units together help make sure that there is money available to assist those who are truly in need while holding accountable those who try to steal from the public coffers. The most common type of welfare fraud occurs when individuals receiving public assistance fail to report income or a monetary gift that if reported would decrease their public assistance.
The Real Estate Fraud Unit is dedicated to assuring a healthy vibrant real estate market in Yolo County. This is accomplished through community engagement, complaint response, public entity partnership, field investigation and enforcement. In the past ten years the number of cases of mortgage fraud has increased dramatically throughout the state.
The Hi-Tech Crimes Unit consists of a devoted team of investigators who support local law enforcement, aid in criminal prosecutions and provide information to protect the community against scams perpetrated over the internet. These days, in nearly all criminal cases we find valuable evidence on computers, iPads, cell phones, iTouches, and game systems.
While there are many units and resources dedicated to combating fraud, constant vigilance is the key to protection. Should you come across fraudulent activities in the County, the Yolo County District Attorney urges you to contact us, toll free, at 855-4-YOLO DA or email us at Fraud@yoloda.website-development.info/public_html. Other consumer protection resources can be found at www.YoloDA.org.
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