£1.5million lost to benefits overpayments

Monday 08 October 2018

Benefits overpayments have lost the States £1.46million over the past three years – but only nine cases of fraud have been prosecuted.

The figures came in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, showing that a total of 319 cases were investigated for income support fraud across 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Of those, nine were said to have led to successful prosecutions, while 48 cases were reported as still being under investigation.

In total, overpayments of benefits totalled £1,464,374 across the three years.

However, the FOI response noted: “The number of fraud cases, which necessitate a criminal prosecution, is relatively low. Often leads are identified as genuine mistakes from claimants rather than fraud and these can be quickly rectified and repayment arranged.

“The Social Security Department will, in every case, pursue all monies falsely claimed either fraudulently or otherwise.”

The most common methods for benefits fraud are working while being signed off sick and gaining income support while cohabiting with someone without telling the Social Security Department.

The latter method was used by Delia Jose Vieira Gaspar Browne, who was charged with the second largest sum ever defrauded from the Social Security Department following an anonymous tip-off. 

Pictured: Delia Jose Vieira Gaspar Browne was sentenced in the Royal Court in April for benefits fraud.

She was found guilty of fraud totalling over £75,000, having advised the department of changes in her work and salary circumstances on 29 occasions but never that she was living with her husband, and was jailed earlier this year for two-and-a-half years.

The court at the time heard that her fraud had “more magnitude” because it had taken place in a small jurisdiction.

Speaking at the time, a Social Security spokesperson commented: “Although court cases such as this are rare, when evidence comes to light that public money is being abused and claimed falsely, then Social Security will take all steps necessary to ensure that the people involved are brought to justice. The department will always pro-actively combat fraud, no matter if the amount is small or large.”