Fraudsters fiddled £500k in benefits

10:36am Wednesday 26th September 2001

BENEFIT fraudsters may have claimed £500,000 from Bromley Social Services.

A report by The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate on Bromley Council's benefit service found the council's anti-fraud investigation procedures were “ineffective”.

The inspection took place in November 2000, seven years after most of Bromley's financial services were handed over to Capita. Weaknesses in the contract, the verification processes, counter fraud operations, postal security and management checking were found.

In response to the report, extra staff were recruited and original documentation demanded for claims.

Head of exchequer services Deborah Robinson said: “We would expect fraud attempts to decrease as the perpetrators realise we are looking out for them. The next step for us is to start prosecuting these people.”

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