The welfare system is designed to help people get back on their feet, but Target 11 discovered that some people are taking advantage of the public assistance program.

LINK: Suspect Welfare Fraud? Report It Here

These are just a few examples that Target 11 found.

Daycare workers in Mercer County accused of stealing thousands of dollars in welfare benefits.

A woman in Westmoreland County receiving public assistance from two states at the same time.

Customers at a Swissvale convenience store buying drugs with food stamp cards.

“A lot of people in the community need help and the fact that these guys are buying dope with this money and somebody else is not feeding a family, it’s just wrong on so many different levels,” said Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala, whose office handles about 150 welfare fraud cases every year.

Zappala told Target 11 Investigator Rick Earle that customers were spending approximately $6,200 per month in welfare money on marijuana.

“They would come in and debit the card and they'd give you cash and they'd give you the dope so obviously there's a black market they are exploiting,” Zappala said.

We wanted to know how prevalent welfare fraud is across the state and how much money it’s costing you.

We tracked down the information at the Pennsylvania Office of Inspector General. Last year, investigators filed 1,199 criminal complaints accusing people of fraudulently obtaining more than 4.9 million dollars in benefits.

During the past several years, the State Auditor General uncovered more waste and fraud in several welfare programs.

This has drawn the attention of State Representative Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny Co.) Turzai wants to see tighter controls to crack down on fraud. He supports legislation requiring welfare recipients to have photo identification, fingerprinting, and drug testing.

“It's our money. It's taxpayers hard-earned dollars. People are less willing to scam the system if they know you are looking,” said Turzai.

Earle also talked to a woman who has benefitted from the system. Roxanne Cole began receiving assistance about a decade ago. Since then, she has received her master’s degree and she has a full time job. The single mother who lives in the Hill District has raised five children. She told Target 11 that she has seen people commit fraud, and it’s disturbing.

“Before I would have stayed angry, but now I get angry and I think you are messing this up for yourself and everyone else because it is such a good system to follow," said Cole, who opposes tighter restrictions.

Cole, who has had her benefits reduced as she’s become more self-sufficient, and other advocates are afraid that the more stringent restrictions may keep needy people from applying.

We also questioned the Department of Public Welfare about the proposed legislation.

A spokesman told Target 11 they are always open to suggestions to improve the system, but he said that applicants already go through more than a dozens background checks, including criminal and employment history.

The DPW also told Target 11 that a number of changes were implemented after the Auditor General’s report. Some of those changes include improved staff training, more frequent reviews of programs and electronic scanning of documents to make them more accessible.

While representative Turzai agreed that all of these changes are a step in the right direction, he said he believes more needs to be done to cut down on fraud.

“This is billions and billions of dollars. Why wouldn't we be tough about where it goes?” said Turzai.

Turzai told Target 11 that he supported similar legislation several years ago. It passed the house, but never made it out of the senate. Turzai said he will introduce it again this year.

WEB EXTRA:

In Fiscal Year 2008-2009, the Office of Inspector General filed 1,411 criminal complaints, charging defendants with welfare fraud for unlawfully obtaining more than $4.5 million in benefits.

In Fiscal Year 2007-2008 the Office of Inspector General filed 1,002 criminal complaints, charging defendants with welfare fraud for unlawfully obtaining more than $3.5 million in benefits.

In Fiscal Year 2006-2007, the Office of Inspector General filed 836 criminal complaints, charging defendants with welfare fraud for unlawfully obtaining more than $2.8 million in benefits.

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