The Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Consumer Protection Unit aggressively identifies, investigates, and prosecutes various types of workers’ compensation fraud. Workers’ compensation fraud can be either claimant fraud or employer fraud and both are a significant problem in Santa Cruz County. Claimant fraud undermines the system’s integrity resulting in fraudulent claims being over compensated while employer fraud results in legitimate injuries being unreported and uncompensated.
If you or someone you know suspects any of the fraudulent activities mentioned below, or if you are suspicious of certain activity and merely need to ask if it is fraud, please click below to complete a Suspect Complaint Form.
Most Common Types of Workers’ Compensation Fraud
Claimant Fraud
- Claiming a job-related injury that never occurred
- Claiming a non-work-related injury as a work-related injury
- Obtaining other employment while allegedly disabled and not reporting income
- Exaggeration of symptoms
- Falsifying reports, i.e., mileage, disability, medical
Employer Fraud
- Dissuading employees from claiming job-related injuries or seeking medical attention
- Failing to provide employees with required forms after a job-related injury
- Failing to have the required workers’ compensation coverage
- Under reporting payroll or misclassifying employees for lower insurance premiums
- Deducting premium dollars from employee’s wages