The Work and Pensions Secretary has issued a claimant fraud warning saying that "nobody should be allowed to abuse" the welfare system. Mel Stride MP has listed the measures that have been taken to keep up with "fast changing criminal tactics".
It comes a year after the Department for Work and Pensions published a fraud plan. In an announcement on social media, Mr Stride said that fraud has reduced by 10 percent.
The measures taken to reduce fraud crime, he explained, include recruiting 1,000 new agents to identify errors and existing Universal Credit claims. The DWP boss said the measures present a "real progress" in fighting against fraud.
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He revealed his plans to divert savings of £9 billion over the coming years. His full announcement reads: "A year since we published our fraud plan, and over the last year, fraud has reduced by 10 percent.
"Our welfare system provides a safety net for many vulnerable people, but nobody should be allowed to abuse it. And we're continuously improving our systems to keep up with fast-changing criminal tactics, with new measures, such as recruiting 1,000 new agents to identify errors and existing Universal Credit claims, bolstering our counter fraud team by 1,400.
"Investing in a package to further enhance our data analytics, improved customer communication and expanding our capacity to tackle economic serious and organised crime. There's much more to do but we're making real progress. Our four plan is helping to divert savings of £9 billion over the coming years."
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