Benef it chiefs ‘afraid to combat fraudsters’

BENEFIT bosses have been accused of ‘sticking their heads in the sand’ over a multi-million-pound Universal Credit fraud exposed by The Mail on Sunday.

Even after the matter was raised in Parliament, the fleecing of taxpayers’ funds continued last week, said a source in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Our exclusive report revealed how vulnerable people were being targeted by criminal gangs and urged to apply online for advance benefit payments of up to £1,500, based on bogus information such as non-existent children.

The whistleblower told us how the DWP, running scared of negative publicity in Left-wing media about people suffering on Universal Credit, did not consider stopping the fraud ‘as a priority’.

They also described how one man applied for a payment claiming his children were named ‘Fish, Chips and Beans’ – yet his money still arrived. They said: ‘It’s a case of carry on defrauding and senior management seem unwilling to do anything about it.

‘The office has been talking about nothing else all week, but senior managers haven’t said a word to any of the staff. It’s as if they are hoping that if they ignore it the problem will just go away. They’ve just stuck their heads in the sand.

‘But we are still seeing obviously fraudulent claims that should be investigated. No one is willing to take the initiative. And all the time money is out of the public coffers.’

The DWP said it ‘is tackling this issue head-on’ and has put a ‘dedicated team of 120 staff into combating fraud... we’re committed to bringing fraudsters to justice’.