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.
