August 14, 2022 — 5.00am
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The floods in NSW and south-east Queensland have resulted in a significant increase in fraudulent claims for disaster relief payments, with the federal government detecting more than 27,000 cases of suspicious activity in the past six months alone.
Government Services Minister Bill Shorten criticised the “scumbags” who were engaging in “despicable conduct”, saying investigators were now working around the clock to catch the fraudulent claims.
New figures reveal Services Australia has begun 793 investigations into alleged fraudulent claims between February 28 and July 31.
During this period, which covers the floods in NSW and south-east Queensland in February and the NSW floods in July, the agency detected a total of 27,770 cases of suspicious activity, allowing it to quarantine about $10.5 million from being handed to fraudulent claimants.
Shorten said the resources required to investigate fraud took staff away from more positive activities they could be doing for the community, including processing emergency payments.
“It’s despicable conduct and the people doing it are scumbags,” he said.
“The high number of claims that have been triggered as potentially fraudulent is alarming.
“Services Australia are working around the clock to investigate these claims, and people who defraud taxpayers will be caught and face charges.”
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