Wales catches record number of benefit cheats

22 May 08
The Wales Audit Office has heralded the latest results of the Welsh National Fraud Initiative as the most successful since the inception of the scheme in 1996.

23 May 2008

The Wales Audit Office has heralded the latest results of the Welsh National Fraud Initiative as the most successful since the inception of the scheme in 1996.

The results for 2006/07, published on May 16, show that the value of fraud and overpayments reported in Wales rose by 73% to £4.5m, from £2.6m in 2004/05.

The NFI, which reports every two years, identified projected savings of £2.69m over three years from detecting wrongly paid single person council tax discount, following work by Cardiff Council.

The auditor general for Wales, Jeremy Colman, said: 'The NFI has been vital in identifying and combating fraud. Its long-term value for the public sector has become immeasurable.'

The WAO said that the overall value of fraud detected had increased due to more sophisticated methods and the willingness of investigators.

In some areas, such as housing benefit, the amounts detected had fallen, suggesting success in eliminating long-running, high-value frauds.

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