Thousands of jobless Brits conning taxpayers out of eyewatering £1billion a year
Singletons lying about their living situation have cost the Department for Work and Pensions millions.
Thousands of jobless Britons who are pretending to live alone are conning taxpayers out of a massive £1bn a year, new figures show.
Couples who live together, whether they are married or not, have their joint income assessed to determine what benefits they are entitled to.
Fraudsters pretend to live alone while actually cohabiting, allowing them to claim higher benefits.
Singletons lying about their living situation have cost the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) an estimated £3.9billion in the last four years. The real number could be as high as £4.5billion in a worst-case scenario.
Investigators are now cracking down on 'single swindlers' with the DWP having signed two new contracts worth approximately £7 million to modernise its fraud detection systems.
The larger contract, valued at £5.08million, was awarded to R+ Analytics, whilst the smaller £2million contract went to bedigital. These firms will support and maintain the DWP's Data Service Platform.
Whilst investigators are taking to social media platforms to track down those lying about living with their partners, others have been caught out by phone bills.
Those found guilty face a maximum sentence of 10 years behind bars.
Joanna Marchong, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: "Taxpayers will be left seething by these single swindlers.
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A DWP spokesman said: “This government will not tolerate fraud or waste anywhere in public services, including in the social security system.
"We are determined to reduce fraud and error and are currently exploring all options on how best to achieve our goal."
