Social Welfare Fraud

[pete]

Social welfare and immigration officials have reportedly uncovered a numbers of scams by bogus asylum seekers to defraud the State of millions of euros....

This morning's reports say the discovery of these scams has saved the State €25m, but investigators believe further fraudsters have yet to be detected.

The figure, however, pales in comparison to the €200m saved by the Department of Social and Family Affairs as a result of anti-fraud measures in the first half of last year alone.

BreakingNews

What kind of "system" is being run that can pay someone 67k before realising person not even a resident in the State?

[anto1208]

well its a very big system there are millions of people claiming somesort of welfare now from the childrens allowance to the dole ,there will allways be peopel that take advantage and there will allways be people that slip through the net .

Good work on catching them .

[pete]

well its a very big system there are millions of people claiming somesort of welfare now from the childrens allowance to the dole ,there will allways be peopel that take advantage and there will allways be people that slip through the net .

I accept that but they paid 1 woman 67k over 4 years before they realised she not even living here. Surely someone would be required to pop down to the office a few times a year? Ah sure increase the benchmarking payment as only tax payers money anyway...

[Macy]

Ah sure increase the benchmarking payment as only tax payers money anyway...

Maybe the ones that made the mistake will get no increase, but the one's uncovering it will be due a big one? Maybe they do call them in to sign on, but even that can lead to fraud, given that fake ID can be got easy enough (I do accept that the Private Sector is fire proof in this respect, as it's not like banks get defrauded or that identity theft is growing in the financial services sector) If they don't have the system in place you should be calling for the Minister responsible for the system to have wage increases frozen - or God forbid in this country their resignation - as they are the ones who set the policies.

This announcement would fit in well with the Election thread. Such a coincidence that it comes a matter of days after McDowell wants to introduce prisons for asylum seekers.

The release of these figures without releasing the fraud figures as a whole is verging on racism imo.

[NY Hoop]

I accept that but they paid 1 woman 67k over 4 years before they realised she not even living here. Surely someone would be required to pop down to the office a few times a year? Ah sure increase the benchmarking payment as only tax payers money anyway...

Pete I'm guessing tried to sign on at one stage and were refused hence your lifelong hatred of public servants?

Fraud happens everywhere. It's not practical to question every single person.


KOH

[pete]

Pete I'm guessing tried to sign on at one stage and were refused hence your lifelong hatred of public servants?

Nope, don't hate them but suppose I just don't understand the herd mentality where the best defend the worst. I know from the private sector that nothing demoralises the good workers more than seeing lazy & incompetent workers getting away with basically crap work. I see it from the point of view that crap workers mean more work for the rest of the workers...

Did sign on for couple of months a few years ago in between jobs & while my dealings were limited with staff at desk I found them very ignorant towards the considerable number of foreigners in the social welfare office that day. Staff seemed more interested in gossiping that working...

I am however biased against unions due to in some part my personal dealings with.

[NY Hoop]

Nope, don't hate them but suppose I just don't understand the herd mentality where the best defend the worst. I know from the private sector that nothing demoralises the good workers more than seeing lazy & incompetent workers getting away with basically crap work. I see it from the point of view that crap workers mean more work for the rest of the workers...

Did sign on for couple of months a few years ago in between jobs & while my dealings were limited with staff at desk I found them very ignorant towards the considerable number of foreigners in the social welfare office that day. Staff seemed more interested in gossiping that working...

I am however biased against unions due to in some part my personal dealings with.

I'm with you re incompetent workers. They should be fired asap but you know how hard it is to fire them?

Also you know how hard it is to work behind a hatch dealing with people who could not be arsed getting a job (in the majority of cases) or whose benefits are more than your wage? That there is no training for these staff?

Agree re unions.

KOH

[pete]

I'm with you re incompetent workers. They should be fired asap but you know how hard it is to fire them?

I accept they not paid highly but no excuse for ignorance in public or private sector.

[BohsPartisan]

I accept they not paid highly but no excuse for ignorance in public or private sector.

What would you like them to say? Have a nice day? Hardly appropriate.

[pete]

I think we going off topic here...

How come theres always talk about waste in the health service but social welfare service rarely mentioned when figures appear to be high...

[BohsPartisan]

Pete, that figure is a drop in the ocean of total social welfare expenditure.

[pete]

Pete, that figure is a drop in the ocean of total social welfare expenditure.

The current social welfare budget is 12.5bn.

The figures mentioned in those articles total to 225m & whil the figures are small by percentage terms its still a lot of money for what I am sure was small area of focus.