PRAC Publications

We analyzed applications across major pandemic relief programs and estimate these programs disbursed approximately $79 billion to applicants who used over 1.4 million potentially stolen or invalid Social Security numbers (SSNs).

Visit the Pandemic Analytics Center of Excellence to see more of our work.

Using data analytics to compare income representations by applicants seeking benefits from multiple federal programs could have prevented hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic fraud.

Visit the Pandemic Analytics Center of Excellence page to see more of our work.

Unemployment insurance (UI) fraud was rampant during the pandemic. We sampled 45 fraud cases to learn about the schemes and methods fraudsters used and to identify what can be done to improve UI programs for the future. Read our report to find out more.

It can be difficult for people to resolve issues after their identity is stolen. Victims report feeling burdened by the federal government’s decentralized redress process. We commissioned a report that proposes a whole-of-government, victim-centered approach to comprehensively supporting individuals throughout the process. Read the report and learn more. 

In the Fraud Alert, we found nearly $38 million in pandemic loans were obtained using the Social Security Numbers of deceased individuals.

In this report, the PRAC’s Identity Fraud Reduction and Redress Working Group provides insights agencies can use to reduce identity fraud in pandemic relief programs and help victims recover from the damage.

The program gave out $800 billion in forgivable loans, making it a prime target for fraudsters. When Congress authorized a second round of loans, the Small Business Administration added more fraud controls. Did they work? Read the report to find out.

See highlights and read the full report on the challenges faced by state workforce agencies to provide pandemic unemployment insurance benefits to individuals directly impacted by the pandemic.

Our report identifies data gaps in pandemic financial assistance information reported to USAspending.gov. Many of the award descriptions were meaningless, making it difficult to determine how the money was used. Non-specific award descriptions prevent the public, agency management, and policy makers from determining the use of the federal pandemic assistance.