800,000 approved veterans never eligible
Click Orlando
Author: Mike Holfeld, Problem Solver
August 24, 2015
The employees say 30 to 40 men and women were hired by Elite Marketing all of them told to take applications from veterans for free cell phones.
An email sent by Elite Marketing Group’s Director of Account Services to the Orlando supervisor last February included attachments of fliers announcing the Free Phones Program.
From September 2014 to July 2015 an estimated 40,000 to 800,000 Florida vets were illegally approved for free cellphones under the government’s Lifeline program.
On Sept. 1 most, if not all, of those phones will be disconnected because the vets were never eligible to receive them in the first place.
Former employees with New York based Elite Marketing came to WKMG after they started getting complaints from veterans who were being told they didn’t qualify for the phones.
Letters from Safe Link, one of the largest distributors of the free phones, asked veterans for proof of eligibility.
The letter reading in part: ”We need to obtain copies of valid documentation that shows you are a qualified benefit recipient.”
Under the Lifeline program eligibility includes anyone receiving: food stamps, Medicaid, SSI, Section 8 housing or National School Free Lunch Program. Military service has never been on the list.
One former Elite Marketing employee identifying herself only as Carrie, was considered one of Elite’s top employees.
In 10 months dating back to September 2014, she said she must have given away 20,000 free phones to veterans.
Carrie says she was paid roughly $4,000 every two weeks. She was told Elite was making $150 per application.
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