Government IS the problem, Richie.

The goal at the time was to get the money in the hands of the people who needed it as quickly as possible to keep from crashing the economy.  If someone (government/banks/private contractors) had to come up with a foolproof plan to prevent fraud, the PPP applications would still be under review.

I'm glad they are now going after the fraud instead of ignoring the problem and moving on.  In addition to the major fraudsters, I think an anonymous toll free tip line would result in a lot of cash being returned.  I'm sure many of us know a few people who weren't completely honest on PPP requests.

Fred Griffin Florida Real Estate nailed it. Those who implement the systems know not what they do.

Given everything we know has happened and continues to happen, this should not be a surprise to any of us. 

The Financial waste was horrific ! We will be digging out for years ............

There are many people that opened up 'shore' businesses to get the money also. I think there is a good amount of checking but some people still get away with it. There was a story of realtors getting a couple 100 thou during the pandemic.

The government has access to SS#'s...could have been an 'inside' job as well.

I think they'd have caught it sooner if the fraud funneled through their mobile devices - that's the only  thing most seem to focus on these days.

It is a problem I think that is out there more then what I think!

There are so many data breaches due to weak cybersecurity practices that the criminals have extensive data profiles of targets including SSN, DOB, email, passwords, interests, purchases, affiliations, etc. to make it easier to impersonate people to submit false documents and claims for benefits.

Customers, vendors, organizations, and govt agencies all need to strengthen cybersecurity to a higher level of defense.

Website designers are not cybersecurity specialists.

I have strengthened the cybersecurity defenses on my small business website using free security audit tools.  I now get an A or A+ rating on security audits.

SecurityScoreboard rates website security.  Their research shows that websites with an F security rating are 8 times more likely to suffer a data breach than websites with an A rating.

Insurance companies need to use a security audit rating to set insurance rates so negligent higher risk websites pay a higher insurance rate.  They could provide an incentive by offering a discount for companies that maintain an A cybersecurity rating.

I did some PPE loans as a courtesy and made no commission. I provided everyone's driver's license and social security card. I acted as expediter for people who believed they would lose their business and go bankrupt. I could track down every "culprit." Data analytics gets them in the end. 

What also bugs me is that they bought junk, dumb, just dumb

Kleptocracy.

wonder how many are actual government employees.