The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will be given extensive new powers to investigate potential benefit fraud after opening nearly 20,000 cases last year. The department launched a £613 million programme last year to tackle those fraudulently claiming benefits - which it claims is a problem worth £4 billion over the next five years.
As of the end of March 2023, the DWP had opened 18,691 open investigations into alleged benefit fraud. It took an average of 235 working days for the department to complete an investigation last year.
Examples of fraud include faking an illness to get disability benefits, failing to report income so that earnings appear less than they actually are and falsifying accounts. Those investigating potential fraud currently have powers to gather evidence in a number of ways, including through surveillance and document tracing, the Mirror reports.
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But new proposals will see these powers being widened to include executing warrants, the searching and seizure of evidence and even making arrests. The most common types of evidence include photos and videos, bank statements and audio recordings.
The new powers will also include requirements for organisations, such as banks, to share data to check levels of savings and whether claimants are living abroad. No official date has been confirmed by the Government in terms of when these new powers will come into effect.
