Barnet reports benefit frauds

Benefit fraud detected by Barnet's fraud team in 2008 totalled £667,361. But we aren't told how much bemefit the borough paid out in total.

The team closed 223 cases as ‘fraud proven’, but only 31 claimants were found guilty of housing or council tax benefit offences after court hearings.

137 claimants were offered and accepted administrative penalties, under which the benefit cheat agrees to pay an extra 30% in addition to the original overpayment.

A formal caution was accepted by a further 23 people, which is offered to a claimant who has made a full admittance to the crime, but the overpayment and mitigating circumstances are then taken into account.

The rest of the cases were closed with no further action being taken due to lack of evidence.

The council expects to get back less than half the money. About 137 false claimants are due to pay back almost £292,000.

For example, Eunice Opare, formerly of Whitehouse Way, Southgate, but now living in Edmonton, left her address in Barnet but continued to receive housing benefit payments into her bank account for 10 months up to May last year, creating an overpayment of £9,695.33. But she was only ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid community work and to pay £500 costs.

Susie Squire, campaign manager for the Taxpayers’ Alliance, branded benefit fraud “a total disgrace”.

At this time of recession ordinary taxpayers are working hard to feed their families and any sort of fraud is grossly unfair. Every step needs to be taken to stop this happening and the people committing benefit fraud need to be caught and punished.