Several years ago, states and counties began purchasing fingerprint ID systems to reduce welfare fraud. Our nation's welfare rolls have dropped 40 percent since the Reform Act was passed by Congress in 1997. Today's welfare program depends on input from numerous government agencies. Several years ago, states and counties began purchasing fingerprint ID systems to reduce welfare fraud.
Most fraud consists of income-related or residency fraud.
Fingerprint ID systems are designed primarily to detect multiple-case fraud, in which a person applies for benefits under multiple names. It is unclear whether this type of fraud is really significant. However, proponents of automated fingerprinting argue that the new systems help establish the identity of the person and perform an important role even if little fraud is detected. The automated fingerprinting systems are usually accompanied by digital photography, which can generate ID cards for public-assistance recipients. It is well known that states who have implemented these systems have achieved savings as duplicate cases were either weeded out or prevented.