WAB

mistermouse

Why isn't there a version of CAB for Welfare Fraud?

I know there is a few fraud officers but not only are they overwhelmed, they also are relatively known in rural locations

Quite an amount of crime is carried out by long term welfare claimants

I know that Gardai know the usual suspects but do not have the time to carry out a full operation on these people. They also are not directly linked to the Social Welfare or Revenue Data Bases

Some are longstanding criminals who are on every welfare option there is and many are feared by welfare officers

Many of these people have been on long term benefits but there is no system like CAB to investigate them deeply and their means.

Why is it that Self employed for example are always in fear of a Revenue Audit but there is no fear on Welfare cheats especially criminal ones

Why is there no Criminal Assets Bureau for Welfare cheats especially criminal ones. We need a large squad who can come into a town where their identity is not known, where they can unannounced look at what assets people have, their bank accounts, where they travel etc and ask questions like a revenue audit would?

Why not? If a business can have to show their income and upkeep why not welfare

Cody Pomeray

The sort of obvious reason might be that this is unlike other cases of fraud - e.g. corporate fraud - which tends to be perpetrated between two private firms or individuals. This type of fraud involves a state actor granting or rejecting applications that come before it.

If you want to stamp out that sort of fraud, it sounds more sensible that you do it at source.

It's a bit like asking why we don't have Gardaí sort of routinely investigating false submissions made to Gardaí.

Should we not just emphasize that the investigating Gardaí just do their own job properly instead of hiring A-Team type babysitters? I don't think we need any greater social welfare 'A-Team' than the one we already have, to whatever extent it exists. Surely it's a more sensible to nip fraud in the bud than to try and chase it up the trees and down bothríní in every parish on the island.

Sleepy

I'm guessing the cost/benefit simply isn't there.

Government departments aren't cheap to create, operate or provide pensions for. I vaguely remember a UK campaign to crack down on welfare fraud that ended up costing multiples of what it saved.