PERAC Memo #26 - 2023: 2023 Pension Fraud Prevention Campaign

PERAC Memo # 26 / 2023 M E M O R A N D U M TO: All Retirement Boards FROM: John W. Parsons, Esq., Executive Director RE: 2023 Pension Fraud Prevention Campaign DATE: November 17, 2023 In accordance with statutory requirements, the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC) maintains a toll-free hotline for the reporting of suspected fraudulent public pension claims, payments, falsified records, and affidavits.
The hotline number is 1-800-445-3266. All messages are kept confidential. Since 1998, PERAC has promoted the hotline through fraud prevention campaigns built around various slogans: “Help Take a Bite Out of Pension Fraud!”; “Pension Fraud Is Stealing”; “Pension Fraud! Let’s Cut it Out!”; “Stop Pension Fraud. It is not a Game”; and “One Bad Apple Can Spoil the Whole Bunch.” This year’s campaign is “Pension Fraud is a Crime. Be a Superhero!” The accompanying poster prominently features our hotline as well as our email address for reporting any suspected fraud. Since we first introduced the email address, PensionFraud@mass.gov, it has remained a popular means of communication for reporting suspected fraud. You can find links to report fraud online and digital downloads of the enclosed materials at mass.gov/pension-fraud.
We are enclosing three posters for your use. Please display them in your office and other locations in your building that provide maximum visibility. Also enclosed are three copies of a brochure that informs readers about the PERAC Fraud Prevention Unit and provides some details about various types of pension fraud. Three copies of PERAC's “Referral Report of Potential Fraud” form are provided as well. Your staff should report instances of suspected public pension fraud to PERAC's Fraud Unit. You should also share links of the online form or make copies of the enclosed available to anyone who wishes to report suspected public pension fraud.
Please note that county and regional retirement systems will receive, under separate cover, copies of the fraud prevention materials to distribute to the local governmental units with which they interact.
For additional copies of the poster, brochure, or form, please feel free to contact our Communications Director, Natacha Dunker, at 617-666-4446, extension 970 or at Natacha.a.dunker@mass.gov.
The Commission sincerely appreciates your cooperation in this endeavor.
PERAC Auditor DIANA DIZOGLIO | KATHLEEN M. FALLON | KATE FITZPATRICK | JAMES J. GUIDO | RICHARD MACKINNON, JR. | JENNIFER F. SULLIVAN, ESQ. JOHN W. PARSONS, ESQ., Executive Director FIVE MIDDLESEX AVENUE, SUITE 304 | SOMERVILLE, MA 02145 PH 617 666 4446 | FAX 617 628 4002 | TTY 617 591 8917 | WWW.MASS.GOV/PERAC COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS | PUBLIC EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT ADMINISTRATION COMMISSION PHILIP Y. BROWN, ESQ., Chair