Fraud cases typically require a large amount of searching through documentation and digging into records. Fraud exists when a person intentionally misrepresents himself or herself in order to receive a benefit or sum of money. The U.S. government will involve itself in fraud cases involving:
- Medicare / Medicaid
- Social Security
- Consumer protection from telemarketers
- Mail fraud – Use of the US Postal Service, UPS, FedEx, or other postal carriers to commit fraud, including by mailing falsified financial documents to a banking institution in order to secure a loan
- Wire fraud – Utilizing wires (think telephone, television, or Internet) to conduct a fraud, such as by making false statements about a product or an email scam
- Bankruptcy fraud
- Securities fraud
- Mortgage fraud
- Tax fraud
- Identity theft
Prison sentences can range into the decades. Sentencing is swayed by the amount of money involved in the fraud as well as if one only had a minimal role in the scheme.