Targeting benefit fraud
A new hard-hitting campaign will
tell benefit thieves that there is no excuse for benefit theft -
commit it and you will be caught and punished. The No Ifs No Buts
campaign warns benefit customers that no excuse will be tolerated
if they deliberately hide changes in their circumstances that might
affect their benefits. Failure to do so could constitute
fraud.
The campaign will feature television adverts and billboard
posters highlighting the problem of taxpayers’ money being stolen
by benefit thieves. Last year benefit thieves received over 52,000
prosecutions, sanctions and cautions for a range of fraud
offences.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, John Hutton
said:
“Benefit fraud is theft, and we are
committed to catching benefit thieves and bringing the toughest
penalties against those who commit this crime – no ifs, no
buts.
“The public are fed up with
benefit
thieves stealing
money intended for society’s most vulnerable. There are no excuses
for taking money that isn’t yours.”
The No Ifs No Buts campaign puts the spotlight on those
benefit customers who deliberately fail to report any changes in
their lives and highlights the consequences of not doing so.
Similar campaigns in recent years have helped reduce the
amount that benefit thieves stole from £2 billion in 2001 to around
£0.9 billion last year. Investigators are using new powers, such as
the right to check bank accounts and household bills, to come down
hard on people who cheat the system.
Link
Contact
Benefit Fraud Hotline
Telephone: (0500) 658008