It’s all in the eyes as welfare cheats are caught out
MORE than 200 suspected welfare cheats have been detected over the last six years thanks to facial recognition software.
The technology was introduced in 2013 to stop fraudsters using multiple identities to claim benefits such as social welfare, rent allowance and jobseeker’s allowance.
Last year alone 30 cases of suspected fraud were uncovered due to the facial recognition system, according to figures obtained during the month of December. There were 26 cases in 2017; some 46 the year before; 55 in 2015; 29 in 2014; and 16 in 2013.
All 202 cases where identity or welfare fraud were suspected were referred to the Special Investigations Unit at the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, and then to the gardaí for investigation and possible prosecution. To date, a total of 28 cases were dealt with in court. Some 20 social welfare cheats got a custodial sentence.
In 16 cases, it was found that there were no issues of identity or social welfare fraud, which can arise in cases where those involved are twins.
No further action is being taken in 21 cases for reasons such as the suspect having left the country.
There are 137 cases still under investigation or at various stages of the legal process.
In some cases, investigations are being concluded, while in others files have been sent to the DPP. Others are awaiting trial dates or are before the courts. Identity recognition software creates an algorithm of a person’s face, which the department can then use to match with the photographs it stores of other individuals. The software focuses on facial characteristics such as a freckle or the distance between the eyes and nose.
These details are then used to make an algorithm and template of this person’s facial features.
Late last year, the department announced it had signed a contract worth €383,000 with London firm Gemalto for the design, development and implementation of upgraded facial recognition technology. The use of this technology has seen a number of people jailed for elaborate fraud schemes.
In July 2015, a father of three who committed €25,000 worth of social welfare fraud was jailed for 18 months after he was caught through facial recognition software. Bernard Flynn, then aged 63, of Cannon Burke Flats, Cabra, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to 11 sample charges of stealing from Social Protection at River Valley Post Office, River Valley, Swords, between August 2011 and April 2014. He used a slightly different name to collect both jobseeker’s and rent allowance.
Figures released by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection last November showed that overall social welfare fraud totalled €38.4million in 2017, down from €41million the previous year.
The department’s annual compliance and anti-fraud report for 2017 also showed almost 755,000 reviews of claims, inspections and investigations were undertaken during 2017, resulting in the saving of over €530million. The department received more than 22,000 reports of suspected fraud from members of the public during this period, and two-thirds of these contained information to ‘warrant concern’.
Meanwhile, eligibility checks were made on 325,000 children during the year. It was found that payments should no longer be made in respect of almost 10,000 children, mostly because they were no longer a resident in the country. Some of the fraudulent cases investigated in 2017 included a student who was approved for a back-to-education allowance.
The student dropped out of college, and started working in a bar – while continuing to claim the allowance. Another case involved a person receiving a State pension who died – and whose their death was not registered properly. A relative did not inform the department and continued to claim the pension payment.
The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection has been approached for comment, but had not responded at the time of going to print.
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