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Stolen IDs sold for ‘Happy Meal’ prices fuel billions in US benefit fraud
White House anti-fraud task force flags $6.3 billion in potential government fraud
White House Anti-Fraud Task Force Vice Chair Andrew Ferguson discusses the task force’s discovery of $6.3 billion in potential fraudulent government contracts, criticizing Democrat governors for allowing widespread fraud and even facilitating it for decades. Ferguson reveals examples of lavish spending by alleged fraudsters and highlights states like California and Hawaii’s failure to prosecute fraud despite receiving federal funds.
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Buying a stolen identity can cost less than a fast-food meal, enabling criminals to use AI and internet tutorials to file fraudulent benefit claims from anywhere in the world, a former inspector general warned Congress on Wednesday.
Lawmakers are already ramping up scrutiny of fraud in major federal aid programs — including unemployment, Medicaid and food assistance — as criminals leverage AI, stolen identities and online tools to exploit systems and drain billions in taxpayer dollars.
Federal watchdogs previously estimated that more than $100 billion in pandemic-era unemployment benefits alone may have been lost to fraud, much of it tied to weak identity verification and oversight gaps.
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Scammers are sending deceptive tracking links that mimic real carriers, hoping rushed shoppers won’t notice red flags. (Silas Stein/Picture Alliance)
«The internet has reduced barriers to fraud,» said retired inspector general Bob Westbrooks during a House Oversight Committee hearing on fraud in federally funded state programs.
«Offenders can find free tutorials online, purchase stolen identities for the price of a Happy Meal, and file claims from anywhere in the world. With automation tools, they can even submit multiple claims across multiple states,» added Westbrooks, who spent nearly three decades in public service focused on anti-fraud efforts.
He warned that «the prevalence of fraud discussions online normalizes this behavior and reduces the fear of getting caught and punished.»
Massive fraud schemes in recent years have underscored the scope of the problem, including a $250 million «Feeding Our Future» case in Minnesota that resulted in dozens of convictions, and a roughly $100 million welfare scandal in Mississippi that led to criminal charges and high-profile prosecutions.
The issue has become so glaring that President Donald Trump appointed Vice President J.D. Vance as the new ‘fraud czar’ and tasked him with addressing taxpayer theft – especially in blue states where local officials refuse to cooperate with the administration.
MINNESOTA’S ANTI-FRAUD SPENDING HAS QUIETLY BALLOONED, LEAVING TAXPAYERS TO PAY FOR FAILURE TWICE
Other auditors and federal officials have pointed to systemic weaknesses in benefit programs, including payments to deceased individuals, duplicate claims filed across multiple states and limited real-time verification of eligibility.
«There’s no one-size-fits-all solution,» Westbrooks said, noting the complexity of policing massive federal programs.
«To be frank, it is simply impossible or impracticable to design a 100% fraud-proof program,» he added.
Still, Westbrooks emphasized that fraud should not be accepted as a cost of doing business.
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A person dressed as an internet hacker is seen with binary code displayed on a laptop screen in this double exposure illustration photo. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Getty Images)
«The American public should reasonably expect that public money is not used to pay dead people, incarcerated individuals, or duplicate claims in the same state or across states, and that public funds are otherwise appropriately safeguarded,» Westbrooks said.
«Officials should aggressively but responsibly adopt new technology tools in the fight against fraud.»
He added that safeguarding taxpayer dollars will require «a coordinated and comprehensive, risk- and data-driven approach» to reduce losses and restore public trust.
corruption crime, costs, aid, cybercrime, minnesota fraud exposed, enforcement, artificial intelligence
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Un insólito videojuego para macacos reveló el secreto evolutivo detrás de la curiosidad animal
Los macacos japoneses, según un estudio reciente citado por Muy Interesante, pueden jugar hasta 100 veces seguidas cuando se enfrentan a tareas cargadas de misterio y un grado atrayente de incertidumbre.
Este comportamiento se asemeja a la curiosidad de los seres humanos ante desafíos similares, lo que sugiere un patrón común en la forma en que los cerebros de ambas especies buscan estímulos novedosos. El estudio señala que los macacos se involucran en juegos repetidos cuando el resultado no es completamente predecible; en estos casos, se observa que la motivación está impulsada por la expectativa de descubrir algo nuevo cada vez.
Tanto en humanos como en macacos, el interés decrece y dejan de jugar cuando los resultados se vuelven totalmente obvios o previsibles: este es el motivo por el que los macacos pierden el interés.
El denominado principio Goldilocks establece que los cerebros animales tienden a elegir estímulos con una complejidad intermedia, evitando tanto lo totalmente predecible como lo imposible de descifrar. Muy Interesante indica que este principio, observado previamente en seres humanos —desde bebés hasta usuarios digitales—, también se manifiesta en los macacos japoneses a través del comportamiento lúdico descrito en el estudio.
El equipo dirigido por Sakumi Iki, de la Universidad de Kioto, partió de la premisa de que la curiosidad animal podría regirse por patrones similares a los humanos. Sus hallazgos muestran que, para estos animales, explorar y jugar no está motivado por recompensas materiales, sino por el balance entre sorpresa y comprensión, un rasgo que hasta ahora se asociaba principalmente con nuestra especie.
El interés de los macacos japoneses aparece cuando su entorno ofrece dosis manejables —pero no excesivas— de información novedosa, lo cual sugiere raíces evolutivas comunes en la curiosidad entre humanos y otros animales.
Para poner a prueba su hipótesis, los investigadores desarrollaron una tarea de tipo escondite, presentada a los macacos japoneses mediante una pantalla táctil. En el experimento, cada vez que un mono pulsaba un botón, surgía una marioneta digital en otra posición de la pantalla, con su localización cambiando de acuerdo con distintos niveles de “ruido espacial”.
Se propusieron tres tipos de botones: uno con resultados totalmente predecibles, otro con resultados completamente aleatorios y una alternativa intermedia con ubicaciones parcialmente impredecibles. Los animales optaron sistemáticamente por la opción de incertidumbre moderada, rehusando tanto la previsibilidad total como el desorden absoluto.
El trabajo destacó la ausencia de recompensas tangibles en el diseño: “Algunos monos realizaron cerca de cien pruebas sin comida ni premios”, afirmó Sakumi Iki. Este comportamiento es inusual, ya que en la mayoría de los experimentos cognitivos con primates se necesitan incentivos alimentarios para sostener la participación, mientras que aquí el atractivo procedía únicamente de la experiencia de descubrimiento.
Los resultados refuerzan la hipótesis de que los macacos japoneses persisten en el juego si el desafío mantiene el grado oportuno de incertidumbre, mostrando que la curiosidad puede ser un motor tan potente como la búsqueda de alimento.
Las conclusiones del trabajo sugieren nuevas vías para el enriquecimiento ambiental en zoológicos y laboratorios. En muchos casos, los primates en cautiverio sufren la falta de estímulos cognitivos, lo que deriva en estrés y conductas estereotipadas.
Los investigadores sostienen que la generación de videojuegos cognitivos, capaces de equilibrar comprensión y sorpresa, podría mejorar la calidad de vida de los animales. Un sistema similar podría adaptarse a perros, gatos u otras especies domésticas, siempre y cuando el diseño logre captar su atención mediante un misterio controlado.
La clave reside en identificar el punto exacto donde novedad y claridad se fusionan para estimular la curiosidad natural, con potencial para transformar la gestión del bienestar animal en instituciones y hogares.
macaco,científico,decisión,predecible,aleatorio,intermedio,experimento,ideas,pensamiento,laboratorio
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Dem House hopeful tied to district’s secret sex-abuse settlements after touting transparency record
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A California Democrat running for Congress in a newly redrawn Central Valley congressional district has campaigned on bringing transparency to his local school board — but during his tenure, the board he served on reportedly settled multiple sex-abuse cases behind closed doors.
Randy Villegas, running to represent California’s newly redrawn 22nd Congressional District in the U.S. House following passage of the state’s Proposition 50, is a college professor and most recently a school board member who ran on bringing transparency to the Visalia Unified School District (VUSD) in Central California.
Meanwhile, on the website set up for his congressional candidacy, Villegas says he is running to «bring accountable, people-first leadership to Washington.» But, during his tenure as a Visalia Unified School District school board member, the district settled five confidential sex-abuse cases totaling nearly $14.4 million that included provisions to hide information from the public, according to data and documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
In at least one of the settlements authorized unanimously by the board, Villegas was present, Fox News Digital could confirm. In that settlement agreement, Visalia Unified School District paid out $3 million following sexual assault allegations against a kindergarten teacher from six former students, and it contained explicit provisions to keep the public in the dark.
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It marked the fifth «secret settlement» in three years at Visalia Unified School District, according to the LA Times, all of which came during Villegas’s tenure on the board that remains ongoing. Fox News Digital could not independently confirm if Villegas was present for the other four votes.
Randy Villegas is running to represent California’s newly redrawn 22nd Congressional District in the U.S. House following passage of the state’s Proposition 50. (Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Connor Treacy)
Fox News Digital reached out to Villegas’s campaign and Visalia Unified School District for comment, including questions about Villegas’s past transparency message, the board’s approval of confidential sex-abuse settlements and whether the public deserved more disclosure, but did not hear back in time for publication.
«California Democrats have turned this race into a nightmare for parents,» press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), Christian Martinez, told Fox News Digital. «Socialist Randy Villegas quietly approved massive confidential settlements tied to the sexual abuse of children, while Progressive Jasmeet Bains is backed by activists who pushed to weaken sex offender laws and strip parents of their rights proving both are willing to sacrifice kids’ safety to protect their far-left allies and agenda.»
Visalia Unified School District board minutes from March 2025, reviewed by Fox News Digital, state Villegas was present when the board returned from closed session and unanimously approved a settlement agreement only identified as «existing litigation» titled «Tulare County Superior Court, Case No. VCU 294247.»
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When Fox News Digital searched the case number on the Tulare County, California, Superior Court’s case search portal, there were six defendants matching the March 2025 settlement documents shared by the LA Times.
The case involved allegations of sexual abuse and assault from six former students against an adult male kindergarten teacher, with incidents occurring decades prior in both a classroom and the restroom, according to a 2022 complaint shared by the L.A. Times that detailed the six accusers’ allegations.
The teacher, between the years 1969 and 1971, allegedly «used his kindergarten classroom and position of trust and authority to egregiously assault the youngest and most tender of students,» the complaint says, alleging the teacher «upended the kindergarten classroom into his personal playing field where (the teacher) preyed on and repeatedly assaulted multiple female students.»
A school bus takes students home in the small Tulare County, California, town in 2023. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The resulting March 2025 confidential settlement agreement, approved by the board with Villegas present, included provisions where parties agreed to state only «the matter has been resolved» and promised to provide no «further elaboration, discussion, or disclosure» to third-parties about it.
The settlements were reached to resolve claims and did not constitute any admission of wrongdoing.
SON OF HOLLYWOOD DIRECTOR ACCUSED OF YEARS OF SEXUAL, RACIAL ABUSE OF WATER POLO TEAMMATE AT RITZY PREP SCHOOL
The settlement agreement also acknowledged that the district may be required to disclose settlement terms under the California Public Records Act, but barred former students involved in the settlement from «directly or indirectly» encouraging anyone to file a public-records request about the settlements, or making one themselves.
At least three of the other settlement agreements from Villegas’ tenure on the Visalia Unified School District board and shared by the LA Times, which spanned abuse dating back decades, included the same secrecy provisions, according to a review by Fox News Digital.
The fifth, an $8 million settlement approved during Villegas’s tenure, according to the LA Times’ reporting but unverified independently by Fox News Digital, included allegations from a former student who said, when they were 15, they were allegedly groomed and sexually assaulted by a school staff member in their mid-30s. The alleged abuse, according to a copy of the complaint shared by the LA Times, took place during the 2022–2023 school year.
The plaintiff accused Visalia Unified School District of negligent hiring, supervision and retention, in the complaint, alleging the district knew or should have known the defendant was unfit to work there.
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The plaintiff’s attorney told news outlet ABC 30 that the defendant in the case had been released from the same school a decade earlier over serious misconduct before being brought back in 2022. That lawyer later represented another student with allegations against the same staff member, ABC30 reported, adding the defendant was facing 11 felony counts for misconduct during the 2022–2023 school year.
The settlement in that case was reached one month before a civil trial was expected to start, The Fresno Bee added in coverage from 2025.
Lopez acknowledged Democrats are currently in «the hot seat» for California. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
Villegas, while running to retain his vacancy appointment to the school board in 2022, prior to any of the aforementioned settlements, bragged that during his temporary appointment he «pushed for transparency, supporting a policy to grant the public access to meeting recordings,» in a candidate profile for the Visalia Times Delta. In the bio on his congressional candidacy website, Villegas echoes a similar message.
«Randy’s running to fight for working families, protect our democracy, and bring accountable, people-first leadership to Washington,» Villegas’ website says. «He’s challenging Republican David Valadao, who has consistently sided with corporate interests over the needs of our communities.»
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Villegas, who teaches political science at the College of the Sequoias since getting his doctorate from the University of California at Santa Cruz, is running in California’s June 2 top-two primary against incumbent Republican Rep. David Valadao and Democratic Assemblywoman Bains.
Fox News Digital reached out to campaigns for Valadao and Bains for comment, but did not hear back in time for publication.
Villegas’ campaign has drawn support from the progressive wing of the party, most notably Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who endorsed Villegas in November 2025, Dolores Huerta, the co-founder of the United Farm Workers alongside Cesar Chavez, and the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, whose co-chairs, Reps. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., and Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., praised Villegas as a candidate who would bring Central Valley voices to Congress. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., also has endorsed Villegas, according to local California reporting.
The 22nd Congressional District was previously held by Republicans Devin Nunes and Connie Conway.
congress, sex crimes, local, investigations, controversies education
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