Treasury Department opens probe into Minnesota COVID fraud scheme

The US Treasury Department has launched an investigation into a massive COVID-19-related fraud scheme in Minnesota, where millions of dollars were allegedly siphoned off from welfare funds. The probe is centered on whether the stolen money was funneled to a Somali terror group, sparking concerns about national security and terrorist financing.

According to officials, the scheme involved a network of individuals who created fake companies and submitted false claims for pandemic-related relief funds. An estimated $40 million in ill-gotten gains were said to have been diverted from the Minnesota Department of Human Services' emergency fund, with some reports suggesting that up to half of these funds ended up with a Somali terrorist organization.

The probe is ongoing, with Treasury officials working closely with law enforcement agencies to track down those involved in the scheme and recover as much of the stolen money as possible. The investigation has also raised questions about how such scams are able to evade detection for so long, highlighting the need for greater vigilance and coordination between government agencies.

The move by the Treasury Department marks a significant escalation in its efforts to combat COVID-19-related scams and financial crimes. It comes amid growing concerns about the impact of these schemes on vulnerable populations and the broader US economy.

Ugh, this is just getting out of hand ... like how do you even scam 40 million dollars from welfare funds? It's just insane . And now they're saying it might've gone to some Somali terrorist group? What are the chances, right? This investigation better not be a wild goose chase or we'll all end up looking like fools . I mean, how long does it take for this kind of thing to go undetected? Shouldn't our government agencies have some basic system in place to prevent this stuff from happening? It just goes to show how vulnerable we are to these types of scams...

This is a major red flag for me, especially with all the money involved - $40 million is a huge sum! I mean, you'd think that's a lot to get away with, but apparently, some people have ways of siphoning off funds without getting caught for years. It's like they're playing a game of cat and mouse with the system .

But what really concerns me here is the link to a Somali terror group. I know we need to be vigilant about national security, but at the same time, it feels like we're jumping to conclusions here. I mean, have we even got proof that the stolen funds were actually going to this group? We can't just assume connections without concrete evidence .

It's also interesting to me how long this scheme went on for and how many people were involved. It's like they were operating outside of our system, using fake companies and false claims to get away with it. It's a huge breach of trust, especially when you think about vulnerable populations who are relying on these welfare funds to survive .

The US Treasury Department needs to do more than just investigate - they need to strengthen their systems to prevent this kind of thing from happening in the first place . We can't let scammers like these get away with it, especially when it's at the expense of vulnerable populations .

Ugh, this is so sick . I mean, 40 million bucks just disappearin' like that? That's crazy talk. And to think it's all because some people couldn't resist scammin' the system... I'm just shakin' my head. It's wild how these scams can go on for so long and still manage to slip under the radar . Like, what kinda vigilance do you need to put in place to prevent this kind of thing? And now they're sayin' it might've gone to a Somali terror group... that's just not right . We gotta stay on top of this stuff and make sure our gov's workin' together to stop these scams before they cause more harm.

$40 million is a crazy amount of money! How can ppl do this tho? I mean, we know scammers are out there but this is just wild . And somali terror group tho, that's like, super serious business . Need to get those involved ASAP and make sure the money gets back where it belongs . This is just so frustrating how can we even trust our systems when scammers are that sneaky? gotta keep working on this tho

[Image of a bank vault with money pouring out, but with a red "X" marked through it]

millions of dollars = where did it all go?! [GIF of a money bag being ripped open with coins spilling out, but instead of coins, there are terrorist flags waving in the background]

OMG, this is so not good ... like, how can people do that to others? $40 million just gets siphoned off from welfare funds and some of it ends up with terrorist orgs ... it's all just so messed up ... I feel for the ppl who actually needed that money ... why can't we just get these scammers ASAP so everyone else doesn't get taken advantage of?

I'm really worried about this, tbh . How is it even possible for someone to siphon off millions from welfare funds without anyone noticing? I mean, we're living in the 21st century with all these fancy tech tools and systems in place... shouldn't they be able to detect something like this? It just goes to show that no matter how advanced our technology gets, humans are still pretty vulnerable to scams . And now there's even a potential link to terrorist financing? That's just scary . I guess it highlights the need for better coordination between agencies, but it also makes me wonder what other scams might be lurking in the shadows...

This is wild , $40 million just disappeared like that? And it's not even clear if all of it was used for "good" . I mean, I get that people need help during a pandemic, but this is crazy. And now they're worried about it possibly being funneled to a terrorist group... that's like a whole different level of messed up .

I'm not sure why these schemes are able to go on for so long without getting caught - isn't the welfare system supposed to have some sort of oversight? It just seems like more and more people are finding ways to game the system, and it's frustrating because those who really need help aren't always getting it.

It's good that the Treasury Department is taking this seriously though . I hope they're able to track down whoever was behind this scheme and get most of the money back. It's just sad that it had to come to this...

This whole thing is super worrying, you know? I mean, millions of dollars just vanish like that? And now we're talking about a potential link to some terrorist group... it's like, where do we even start? I feel like our welfare system is supposed to be there for people who really need it, but if scammers can just swoop in and steal from them... it's just not right.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we need to make sure these kinds of scams are getting shut down ASAP, and that people who get caught are held accountable. It's like, we all trust the system to do its job, but sometimes it looks like there are just too many loopholes for scammers to exploit. So yeah, I'm definitely on board with this investigation and hoping they can recover most of that stolen cash.

what's up with all these massive fraud schemes happening everywhere?? like, millions of dollars just siphoned off from welfare funds... that's just insane u gotta wonder how some people get so desperate & stupid enough to think they can pull something like this off and now we're talking about a potential link to a Somali terrorist organization? that's just wild i mean, i'm all for investigating these kinds of scams & making sure our agencies are working together, but come on... $40 million?! that's like, a small country or somethin'

This whole thing is super concerning, ya know? $40 million just vanished into thin air because some people thought they could scam the system. I mean, who tries to funnel that kind of cash to a terror group? It's like, come on, folks! We've got enough problems without letting scammers get away with this kinda stuff.

And what really gets me is how long it took for anyone to notice this was going down. $40 million is a lot of money, but apparently, it's easy to hide when you're playing games with welfare funds. It's like, where's the oversight? Where's the accountability?

The fact that they're working closely with law enforcement and trying to recover some of the stolen cash is a good start, I guess. But we need to do better than this. We need to make sure our systems are in place to prevent these kinds of scams from happening in the first place.

I'm just saying, it's time to get serious about protecting our vulnerable populations and keeping scammers out of our system.

this is just wild how scammers were able to siphon off that much money from welfare funds like what kind of system failures led to this huge scam going unchecked for so long? I feel for the ppl who got taken advantage of, especially vulnerable populations who are already struggling it's a huge responsibility on law enforcement & gov agencies to catch these people & get that money back I'm all for taking down scammers & keeping our country safe, but we gotta keep working to prevent these kinds of scams from happening in the first place

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one... 40 million dollars funneled into a Somali terror group? Mind blown, right? How does that even happen? And what's crazy is that it took law enforcement agencies like forever to catch wind of it. It just goes to show how easy it is to hide in plain sight when you're scammed out of millions. I mean, I've heard of scams, but this one takes the cake. How many people got caught up in this scheme and lost their hard-earned cash? And what's being done to prevent something like this from happening again in the future?

I'm really concerned about this massive COVID-19-related fraud scheme in Minnesota. $40 million is a crazy amount of money, and it's insane that some people thought they could just take advantage of a pandemic to get rich . The fact that some of these funds ended up with a Somali terrorist organization is terrifying - it's one thing to worry about national security, but this is like, what's next?

The US Treasury Department needs to do more than just launch an investigation - they need to make sure these types of scams are shut down for good . I mean, how hard is it to track down a network of individuals who created fake companies and submitted false claims? It seems like such simple stuff, but apparently it evades detection for years... it's like, what's going on?

We need to get tough on these types of scams, especially when they target vulnerable populations. The fact that these people are making millions off the back of real people who are struggling is just unacceptable . I hope the Treasury Department and law enforcement agencies can work together to bring those involved to justice and make sure this kind of thing never happens again .

I mean, come on... $40 million just disappeared into thin air? How do fake companies even get away with this stuff for so long without anyone noticing? And now we're worried about whether it was funneled to a Somali terrorist group? It's like the government is playing whack-a-mole - every time they think they've caught one scam, another one pops up somewhere else. I get that national security is important, but can't they just focus on keeping people's welfare funds safe instead of jumping to conclusions about terrorist financing? And what's the point of investigating if we're not gonna make it easy for these scammers to get caught in the first place?

Man, this is just crazy ! I mean, $40 million missing from welfare funds? That's like, a small town's budget or something . And to think it was all allegedly funneled to a Somali terrorist group... that's just devastating .

I don't know how these people even managed to pull this off for so long, but I guess you can say they're experts at scamming . It's like, how do you even get away with something like this? It's like they thought they were above the law or something.

But seriously, it's a major red flag that these kinds of scams are happening in the first place. And now the Treasury Department is on it, trying to track down those involved and recover the stolen money. Hopefully they can catch the bad guys and make sure this stuff doesn't happen again .

I was just reading that you can now get a COVID-19 vaccine for dogs , which got me thinking, have you ever seen those adorable dog videos where they're wearing little masks? It's so funny how humans think we need to wear masks all the time, but dogs are like "I'm good, I've got my fur" . Anyway, back to COVID-19, I remember when it first started, everyone was stocking up on toilet paper , like what's going to happen? You're gonna need that much toilet paper to survive a pandemic?

this is wild - $40 million gone missing from welfare funds, it's like something out of a movie, you know? how does a scam like this even get so big that people think they can just funnel it to terrorist orgs and then wonder why we need more coordination between gov't agencies I'm not saying the government is doing its job or anything (not my place to say), but come on, $40 million? That's some serious cash and if half of that ended up with a terror group... it's like, what were they thinking anyway, this investigation better be thorough, no room for slackers gotta get those scammers in the hot seat