Welfare Cheaters Case Study

Reporting Welfare Cheaters
Review
I have noticed several costumers that use state-issued credit cards to return some of the goods for cash to buy things that are not allowed by welfare. They will typically buy their goods at one person then return and go to a different person to return the goods and get cash back. Some of the things that they buy with the cash are tobacco or alcohol and or other hardware goods that they cannot buy on the welfare credit card. Do I turn them into the state and risk the state coming into our store and causing mass problems, or do I let it go and potentially hurt our stores’ name for letting cheating transpire? After all, we don’t have to do anything special to accept the welfare credit card and that brings more money to the store.
Ethical Problem or Issue
The problem is that the people on welfare aren’t hurting anyone or anything. If we start to bother them about what they are doing, they may leave and never come back to the store causing the store to lose money. If we turn them into the state
In best case scenario, only the small group of people on welfare will continue to do this and it won’t spread to other people on welfare. Worst case scenario, it gets out to other people on welfare and that’s all that comes to the store anymore and the state is forced to come in and do something about it. Reporting to the state (2) the situation they would definitely want to know the names of the people that are abusing the system. If we give them the names of the people that are abusing the system those people could potentially get cut off from needed resources that help them to survive. If they get cut off from welfare they could turn to a life of crime or worse. The state could also implement a new system or software that tracks welfare that would cost more time and slower lines at the registers costing the company