The fiddlers on the hoof
Cases against fraudsters dropped
JUST one in 16 suspected benefit fiddlers is ending up in UK courts.
The news comes only days after the UK Government rolled out the biggest welfare shake-up in generations.
The Department of Work and Pensions, headed by Iain Duncan Smith, claims it is making advances in the war on benefit fraud.
But a Sunday Post probe has found shrinking numbers of alleged fraudsters are being brought to court — despite a growing number of suspects.
Last night the findings were blasted by campaigners and politicians.
Matthew Sinclair, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Benefit fraudsters are taking money from taxpayers that is meant as an important safety net for the vulnerable.
“With so few people facing the consequences for ripping off taxpayers it undermines any deterrent against benefit fraud.
“The Government must do all it can to fix Britain’s broken benefit system so it isn’t such an easy target for those cheating the system.”
The DWP revealed that last year its officers investigated 166,010 cases of alleged fiddling.
That’s up 36,820 from 2008/09 — a rise of nearly 30%.
But of last year’s investigation only 10,360 were referred to the courts for prosecution.
That figure was down on the 11,410 passed for legal action in 2008/09.
Meanwhile in Scotland, our probe found the courts were dropping more and more cases that had been passed to them by the DWP.
We also discovered that the Scottish Crown has a backlog of benefit cases dating back four years.
Tory MSP Alex Johnstone, who sits on Holyrood’s welfare reform committee, said: “The whole point of welfare reform is so those who need help the most get it.
“Prosecuting those who stop this happening by their fraudulent actions is a key part of making this work.
“A greater effort has to be made to prosecute those who are exploiting the system and taking money away from those in genuine need.”
Among the one in 25 suspected benefit fraudsters to end up in court was Dundee man Michael Duthie.
The unemployed 56- year- old was sentenced to 240 hours of community service last month.
Despite winning £ 250,000 on the National Lottery he had continued to claim jobseeker’s allowance for two years, totalling £13,000.
He told the court he didn’t know he had to declare his winnings.
Last week, Carlisle single mum Samantha Glenn was warned she faced jail for a fourand-a-half-year £35,500 benefits fraud.
From May 2005 to November 2009, the 26- year- old told the authorities she was entitled to benefits but was receiving an income from a trust fund.
It’s estimated benefit fraud costs taxpayers up to £ 1 billion a year.
A series of initiatives were introduced last May to help tackle fraud, including tough new fines of up to £2,000.
The powers — introduced shortly after the time- frame we looked at in our probe — give investigators the option of dishing out fines to fraudsters instead of court prosecutions if it is more cost effective.
A spokeswoman for the DWP said: “Fraud in the benefits system remains a huge problem.
“We have given our teams more resources and power so investigators are now actively tracking fraudsters, using a mixture of the latest technology and oldfashioned detective work.
“We’re making use of new tougher penalties to deter fraudsters, which include penalties of up to £2,000 without being taken to court.”