RALEIGH --Two agents with the State Bureau of Investigation have saved taxpayers more than $10.1 million since they began investigating fraudulent Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid disability claims eight months ago.

The two SBI agents are part of the Social Security Office of Inspector General’s Cooperative Disability Investigations Unit which investigates questionable statements and activities of claimants, medical providers and other third parties on potential fraud in the Social Security Administration’s disability programs.

“The SBI welcomed this program last year, and it has yielded many fraudulent claims,” SBI Director Bob Schurmeier said.  “Those who think they can defraud the government may find the consequences aren’t worth the deception.”

Last month, a special agent in charge of SBI’s Eastern Area and one in the Western Area, investigated 20 questionable fraud claims and either closed or denied 14 of those cases which resulted in a savings of nearly $1.8 million for both state and federal funds.

The two agents spend many hours traveling from location to location conducting interviews and determining if a claimant has filed a false claim with the Social Security Administration or are concealing facts.

Donald Jefferson, the special-agent-in-charge of the Office of Inspector General’s CDI Division, said his agency has zero tolerance for fraud.

“CDI Units investigate individual disability beneficiaries and claimants, and identify lawyers, doctors, translators, or other third parties who facilitate disability fraud,” Jefferson said.

The CDI Program covers 33 states. The SBI's CDI Unit is a part of the SBI Professional Standards Division.