How to Report WIC Fraud

The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program seeks to provide vouchers for nutritious food and information about health, as well as health care referrals, to low-income women with children under the age of five. Operated under the United States Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A.), the WIC program operates through federal grants allocated to each state for administration. Due to the nature of the program, fraud is a continuous issue among the vendors (retailers) and the benefit recipients. If you suspect WIC fraud, report it to stop the criminal activity.

Instructions

• 1

  Confirm the activity you witnessed is WIC fraud. Examples of WIC fraud include benefit recipients reselling the food items they receive with WIC vouchers, benefit recipients misrepresenting information to qualify for benefits, recipients trading vouchers for non-WIC grocery items and venders overpricing WIC foods for increased reimbursement.

• 2

  Find the telephone number of your local WIC office in the location where the fraud occurred. WIC clinics operate through local government at the city or county level, and also through Indian reservations. Locate the telephone number by looking in the local government pages of your phone book. Alternatively, visit the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) website (see Resources) and find the toll-free telephone number for the state WIC agency serving your location.

• 3

  Call the toll-free telephone number to report the fraud. You must provide the person’s name and personal information that you are reporting for fraud, the fraudulent activity you witnessed, the location of the activity, and the time that the fraud occurred. You do not have to provide your own name and personal information to report WIC fraud.