Crop Insurance Fraud

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency, which administers the crop insurance program, uses satellite imaging technology to monitor farm acreage that is involved in a farmer’s crop insurance claim. The images have been used in courts to determine crop insurance fraud. Since 2001, less than 100 cases that used satellite images have been prosecuted. However, teamed with data mining, the agency has put about 1,500 farms on watch for suspected fraud. Its spot check list, developed through the use of the images, has saved taxpayers $71-$110 million a year in fraudulent crop insurance claims since 2001